The National Elections Commission (NEC) has announced the first provisional results in the just-ended Lofa County senatorial by-election, with the CDC-backed independent candidate, Joseph K. Jallah, leading the race with thousands of votes.
On Thursday, June 30, 2022, the NEC released 83.92% of the by-election results, which were tallied from 381 out of 454 polling places.
According to the NEC provisional results, Momo K. Cyrus, independent, obtained 4,753 votes, constituting 9.42% of the tallied result; and Mariamu B. Fofana, independent, obtained 5,456 votes, constituting 10.82% of the tallied result.
Joseph K. Jallah, the CDC-backed independent candidate, obtained 20,482, constituting 40.61% of the tallied result; while the Unity Party (UP) candidate, Glakpai Kortimai, obtained 16,666 votes, constituting 33.04% of the tallied result.
Sumo Kupee, the candidate of the People’s Unification Party (PUP), obtained 1,908 votes, constituting 3.78% of the tallied result; and George B. Samah, independent, obtained 1,176 votes, constituting 2.33% of the tallied result.
The total number of votes tallied by the NEC as of yesterday stood at 52,183, of which 50,441 represented valid votes and 1,742 invalid votes.
According to the Chairperson of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Cllr. Davidetta Browne Lansanah, the Lofa senatorial by-election was conducted on Tuesday, June 28, 2022 pursuant to a Joint Resolution of the National Legislature, describing the election as peaceful.
Cllr. Browne Lansanah disclosed that the tallying of results began the next day, Wednesday, June 29, 2022, at NEC’s magisterial offices in Kolahun and Voinjama, in the presence of candidates’ agents and independent observers.
She said the tallied results were transmitted to the data center of NEC, 9th Street, where they were collated. She used the medium to thank the people of Lofa County and all those who helped in making the conduct of the senatorial by-election successful.
The NEC boss noted, “As more results are being tallied, the commission will inform the public accordingly.”
Meanwhile, two of the six contestants of the Lofa County senatorial by-election, Mariamu B. Fofana and Cyrus K. Momo, the presumptive third and fourth runner-ups in the election, have conceded defeat and congratulated Joseph K. Jallah on presumptively winning the election.
Fofana and Momo’s congratulatory messages come ahead of the NEC announcing the final results of the election.