Residents of Nyenawiliken Town in District 3, River Gee County have threatened to boycott the upcoming 2023 October 10 general election if the National Elections Commission (NEC) does not ensure that a polling precinct is placed in that town on elections day.
Nyenawiliken Town has a population of over 500 inhabitants according to the 2022 National Housing and Population Census and it is a town in Kaytiebo, Keylibo Clan located in the northern part of the Sarbo Administrative District in River Gee County which is about 16-kilometers away from the county’s capital Fish-Town.
According to preliminary results from the NEC’s local office in River Gee, Tarwarken’s Voter Registration Center registered a total of 440 applicants, a center where residents of Nyenawiliken Town had to walk about 45-minutes and at some point, crossed river by canoe just to obtain voter cards.
This year’s voters’ registrar recorded less number ever at that center due to the fear of residents of Nyenawiliken who had to cross a river and walk almost an hour to get to a registration center though in previous elections, that center recorded over 700 voters.
The residents’ decision is stemmed from the long distances they trekked or travelled to Tarwarken, Keylibo Clan just to get registered during election period but it seemed as if they were fed up with the exercise of getting their households through that during the just ended BVR exercise.
“Me, my two wives and children, 18 and above did not register because of the long walking distance and also the crossing of river in spoiled canoes from Nyenawiliken to Tarwarken which is 45-minutes. We walked and must cross River Gbeh; this is dangerous to my family lives so, we did not register this time,” Isaac Sogbeh, told our reporter.
“During the 2020 special senatorial election on voting day, many of us from this town almost lost our lives due to river overflow when the canoe we were in capsized and all of our belongings on board got missing in the river; it was from that time we wrote the than District Commissioner of Sarbo to tell the National Elections Commission to create Voter Registration Center in Nyenawiliken that will lead to getting us to part take in the process unfortunately, it did not happen and here we are with this 2023 general elections,” Mr. Sogbeh explained.
“No ballot box here, we will not vote. Bring us a ballot box during voting day before we will cast our ballot. The road is far; it is 45-minutes’ walk and most especially we must cross a river to reach the polling center in time to vote, it will be dangerous to our lives,” says the Nyenawiliken Town Development Chairperson, Ben Dadiah.
The development chairperson also said to walk the other way around from Nyenawiliken through River Gbeh Town to Tarwarken polling place is over three hours walk but accessible on motorcycle with a cost of LD$3,000 which he said, makes it difficult if not impossible for them as citizens to exercise their right.
“As we all aware, October is raining season, the river will be filled, so we want the Election Magistrate in River Gee County to help us create a precinct center or polling places here to enable all of the eligible voters in the town and its surrounding villages participate in October 10 election and other elections to follow; we are tired crossing river for election purposes,” Mr. Dadiah added
Also speaking, a teacher of Nyenawiliken Elementary School, Oretha Chea, said most of the women in the town have obtained their voting cards but will hold back if things are not properly put into place by granting their people’s wish on election’s day.
She added that in previous elections, many candidates have promised to donate canoes and speed boat to enable them cross easily but are yet to be fulfilled.
However, when contacted. the Magistrate of National Elections Commissions of River Gee, Moses Nyenatoh, said the residents’ concerns are genuine but will be suggested to his bosses.
“Nothing I can say or do about it now till I communicate the issue to my bosses; they will tell me what to do on or before Election Day but not to sit here and give them hope. Whatever they going to tell me is what I am going to do for them; so, let them rest assure I will communicate their concerns,” Magistrate, Nyenatoh stated.
According to the new Election Law of Liberia, where there are about 400-500 voters, that area is entitled to a polling precinct. This means that as the National Elections Commission’s Biometrics Voter Registration has recorded preliminarily from the area, the center in Tarwarken, Nyenawiliken should still be maintained.
Meanwhile, the NEC local office has released preliminary results from the just ended BVR exercise indicating that a total of 37,983 people has so far registered to vote in the scheduled October 10, general and presidential elections.
The preliminary result released on Monday; May 16, 2023 by the River Gee Magistrate showed that at least 18,129 females have registered to vote while 19,854 of the registrants are males.
According to a report in my possession, River Gee County Electoral District 2 ranked the 1st most populated of 13,811 voters, while District 3 has 12,110 and District 1 have 12,062 registered voters respectively.
The 2023 BVR numbers have increased to a little over 2,000 voters as compared to 2017 that recorded 35,240.
River Gee County is located in the South-eastern part of Liberia and was placed as the 12th populated county among Liberia’s 15 counties according to the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS) 2022 National Housing and Population Census with over 124,000 inhabitants. By Ben T.C Brooks/ Fish-Town, River Gee (PAL/USAID Election reporting fellow)
