Several opposition political party leaders in Liberia have rejected the 2023 preliminary result of the country’s first digital National Population and Housing Census conducted by the Liberia Institute of Statistic and Geo-information Service (LISGIS).
The parties include former ruling Unity Party (UP), Liberty Party (LP), All Liberian Party (ALP), Movement for Progressive Change (MPC), Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR), Rainbow Alliance (RA) and the Liberia People’s Party (LPP).
It can be recalled that the government through the Liberia Institute for Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS) released the preliminary result of the 2022 National Population and Housing Census (NPHC) thus putting Liberia’s population at 5,248, 621.
Additionally, giving the provisional statistics of the Census, Ministry of Health Assistant Minister for Vital Statistics, Chea Stanford Wesseh disclosed that the population distribution by county is as follows: Montserrado 1.920, 914; Nimba 623, 941; Bong 467, 502; Margibi 504, 946; Grand Bassa 293, 557 and Lofa 362, 376.
Others are Grand Gedeh 236, 692; Grand Cape Mount 170, 796; Maryland 172, 202; Sinoe 150, 398; Rivergee 174, 653; Grand Kru 109, 342; Gbarpolu 96, 995 and Rivercess 90, 727.
But reading the petition statement on behalf of the opposition parties, UP chairman, Rev. Luther Tarpeh stated that the data contained in the result is inaccurate thus describing it as “cooked numbers” intended to favor the Weah led-administration.
The UP chairman explained that even as the government announced what it calls preliminary result, various homes and communities in the metropolitan areas of the country as well as in some rural parts of the country were not counted.
Practically, he maintained that deployments at enumeration sites were not done as planned, while the processes that led to the conduct of the 2022 census across the country were a flop, judging by the available facts gathered by them.
“The exercise was marred not only by technical irregularities but also corruption, negligence and lack of leadership. The Preliminary Census report considering the actions and inactions that attended the Census, we can conclude that the preliminary report issued by LISGIS is a reflection of the grand corruption which characterized it,” Rev. Tarpeh intoned.
According to him, what is being paraded by few people at LISGIS, and supported by their benefactors is nothing more than a conspiracy hatched against the will of the Liberian people, noting, “But the veil on that plan has been removed and every Liberian can now see for themselves, through these “cooked numbers” coming out of LISGIS as representation of the population.”
He added, “So, following a careful review and analysis of the released preliminary report, we hereby categorically reject the same, and have clearly stated this position in a resolution to be presented to Liberia’s international partners and both Houses of the Legislature.”
“We have also requested the National Elections Commission and the National Legislature not to use said result for any elections-related decision,” the UP Chairman asserted.
Meanwhile, receiving the petition, Sinoe County Senator, Milton Teahjay extoled the opposition political parties for the peaceful assemble in presenting their petition to that body, while at the same assuring that the petition will be presented for plenary’s action.
