NEC To Certificate Foko, Bartekwa
The National Elections Commission (NEC) says it has received two mandates from the Supreme Court of Liberia affirming its declarations of the winners from the December 8, 2020 special senatorial elections in Grand Kru County and in the district #9 representative by-election in Montserrado County.
A statement from NEC, issued on Friday, March 5, 2021, quotes the Supreme Court as mandating the Commission to resume full jurisdictions in the Grand Kru County and district #9 representative by-elections after it carefully reviewed the records.
In the district #9 representative by-election ruling between the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), through its Secretary General, Aloysius Toe, and the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and Frank Saah Foko, the Supreme Court said the plaintiff did not produce a list of names and identification cards or authorization power from voters to defend their legal rights. The Highest Court of Liberia holds that because the motion was filed by an unknown person of the CPP, and that no witness testified to the identity of the unknown person who signed the motion, the plaintiff lacked legal standing to file for the CPP.
The ruling of the Supreme Court in the Grand Kru case, Nathaniel Barway, through the Chairman of the Liberia National Union (LINU), Nathaniel Blama, and Candidate Numene T.H. Bartekwa of Grand Kru, the Court said the plaintiff took the action without any legal basis thereto.
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the Administrative Court, Davidetta Browne Lansanah, has ordered the Certification Committee of the NEC to work out modalities for the certification program for Senator-elect, Numene T.H. Bartekwa, Grand Kru County, and Representative-elect, Frank Saah Foko, district #9, Montserrado County, and to communicate the date and time to Bartikwa and Foko.