The Board of Commissioners of the National Elections Commission (NEC) has, for the second time, reserved ruling into the Bomi County electoral dispute case involving Edwin Melvin Snowe and the CDC by and through Candidate Alex Tyler.
The Board of Commissioners (BOC) took the decision on Friday, 22 January 2021 after it heard arguments between lawyers representing NEC, as first respondent, and Edwin Melvin Snowe, as second respondent, and Alex Tyler rested on their prayers for action of diminution of records.
Cllr. Amara Sheriff, representing CDC-Bomi County and Alex Tyler, said the mandate of the BOC was for the clerk to provide the full minutes from the case, including all 43 pieces of documentary evidences and not 27 was under executed, adding the bill of information was therefore being very imperative to the matter.
However, NEC, as first respondent, through Attorneys Cephas Teewia and A. Teage Jalloh, said the diminution bill was only intended to further delay case. Attorneys Teewiah and Jalloh said that at the first hearing on January 7, 2021 the movant made a submission for the full minutes, which was granted by the BOC and the matter was postponed. The NEC lawyers said, again, on January 13, 2021 the movant asked the BOC to grant another motion for corrections of minutes before they could continue the case. The NEC lawyers wondered at what time did the informant review the records.
The second respondents, Edwin Melvin Snowe, through Cllr. Wilfred Sayeh, said it beats his imagination to know that a lawyer, after final arguments, would come back to appeal for minutes and certain pieces of documents.
The second respondent’s legal team through Cllr. Sayeh prayed that the BOC denies and dismisses the bill of information because it was baseless and worthless.
But the Board of Commissioners of NEC, through its Chairperson Davidetta Browne Lansanah, said the bill of information will be consolidated into one to allow the BOC to issue one final ruling and suspended the matter.
In the second electoral dispute case, hearing of Bill of Information, Independent Candidate Steve Tequah of Rivercess Verses NEC, first respondent and Wellington Geevon Smith, second respondent, the BOC, after hearing arguments said through it Chairperson reserve ruling, notice will be served and suspended the matter. Independent Candidate Steve Tequah is praying the BOC to have recount in 104 polling places and re-run in the 7 polling places where the recount was counted on 16 January 2021.
As per the records, all seven Commissioners, Chairperson Davidetta Browne Lansanah, Chairperson Cllr. P. Teplah Reeves, Commissioners Boakai A. Dukuly, Barsee Leo Kpangbai, Cllr. Ernest Morgan Awar, Floyd Oxley Sayor and Josephine Kou Gaye, heard the two cases.