The National Elections Commission (NEC) an independent body is now being pressured by some high-ranking CDC officials and their top Ministers of government pretending to be the LACC fight against corruption.
High-ranking government officials are accused of attempting to remove the current NEC Chair by bringing criminal charges against her to replace her with a puppet so as to rig the 2023 election.
The National Elections Commission stand accused of renting 20 thermometers at a cost of US$182,320 to be used in four counties for the just ended by-elections from the Tuma Enterprise and that this entity in question belongs to the brothers of Commissioner Davidetta Browne Lansanah.
Due to the fact that there is a link between the owner of the Tuma Enterprise and that of NEC Boss, it has raised the question of Conflict of Interest.
The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission probe into the matter establish the NEC Boss be dismissed for Conflict of Interest thereby accusing her of carrying out insider trading and Money laundering.
A writ of arrest was subsequently issued and thereafter Commissioner Lansanah was brought before Criminal Court “C” by her lawyer where a valid criminal appearance bond was secured thus preventing her from going to jail especially during the festive season when the court itself has gone on break.
This is the summary of the facts involving NEC and its Boss, Commissioner Davidetta Browne Lansanah.
On April 9, 2020, President George M. Weah appointed Davidetta Browne Lansanah as Commissioner proper, National Elections Commission which many of us lauded the President.
Some CDcians had the confidence that once they have constituted a new board of Commissioners every election would go their way and there was nothing to worry over.
To test this false perception, the 2020 Senatorial Election was a classical lesson. The opposition Collaborating Political Party had a winning percentage of 40.27% of the total votes cast, while CDC obtained 28.02% of the total votes cast, a difference of 12.25% in favor of the opposition.
That election saw the opposition winning six of the 15 counties, while CDC won only three of the 15 counties. The opposition won almost all the votes in rich counties, LOFA, BONG, MONTSERRADO, BASSA, RIVERGEE and GRAND CAPE MOUNT COUNTY.
This was a severe defeat to CDC considering that if the narrative remains constant, it means CDC will find it difficult against an already falling apart CPP. It should also be noted that the President had toured the 15 counties a few months before the Senatorial election.
The President’s trip was intended to re-energize his bases across the country. Again in 2021, the National Elections Commissions under the stewardship of Lansanah conducted a by-election in four counties for the house of Representative, Bong, Nimba, Grand Gedeh, and Bomi and in the just ended by-election, CDC did not win a single seat amidst the huge campaign done by the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs.
With the latest election results, it is becoming clearer to the Liberian people that Commissioner Lansanah’s Commission is independent and not in any way intending to bend the rules.
In 2023, President George M. Weah will be contesting against the CPP that just handed him a massive senatorial defeat in 2020, 15 seats at the Senate will be up for reelection as well as the entire House of Representative.
Going into the 2023 election with Davidetta Browne Lansanah serving as Commissioner, this is something that CDC has long been strategizing to deal with.
They are aware that Commissioner Browne is not in bed with them, therefore they either create false corruption allegations to force her into submission to go their way in 2023 or she will be removed.
Those who are behind this political ploy are aware that the Commissioners at NEC serve on tenure basis and that Commissioner Lansanah does not fall within the meaning of Executive Agency, therefore she can only be removed for “cause” and it is that “cause” they are trying to establish in order to convince the President to dismiss Commissioner Lansanah to get her out of the way so as to have a controlling Commissioner to do the damage work in 2023.
If nothing is done to remove Lansanah, many high-ranking CDC lawmakers may not return to the Capitol as it has been gathered that criminal charges brought against Commissioner Lansanah and her summary arrest to put behind bars was meant to pressure her into resigning as chairperson of NEC.
Pundits believe that if Commissioner Lansanah should resign or be dismissed, so too must Bill Tweahway and Kanio Bai Gbala as that would serve as a fair interpretation of Conflict of interest and application of the law thereof.
It can be recalled that in August of 2021, the biggest corruption scandal broke the internet when Frontpage Africa reported that a bogus Company called Creative Developers Incorporated (CDI) has been defrauding government and private port users in the amount of approximately US$500,000.
The Articles of Incorporation of this company shows that the current National Port Authority Managing Director eldest brother name Paul Tweahway maintains a 60% share in CDI, while Kanio Bai Gbala youngest sister, Zarylee Gbala who is a Student of the United Methodist University maintains a share of 10%, while Hamed Sidiki Fofana, the CEO of the Company owns 15% share and Christian Brownell, Deputy Comptroller, National Port Authority had a share of 15%.
On August 20, 2020, a formal Memorandum of Understanding was entered into by and between CDI and the National Port Authority under the signatures of Bill Tweahway and the current comptroller of the National Port Authority awarding handling contract to this company.
There is no record to indicate whatsoever that the company was registered with the Public Procurement Concession Commission (PPCC) and no PPCC procedure was followed, yet Bill awarded a very lucrative contract to this bogus company owned by his brother and Kanio Bai Gbala sister as well as NPA deputy comptroller.
If the LACC argument against the current NEC boss is on the basis of corruption, conflict of interest and insider trading, then what prevented the LACC from pressing further with Bill Tweahway and Kanio Bai Gbala?
In the Tuma Enterprise case, the two individuals listed are not shareholders in Company as opposed to Bill Tweahway whose brother is the majority shareholder in CDI as well as Kanio’s sister.
Bill Tweahway, like many others in similar gimmick, knew or had reason to know that he should not have awarded contract to CDI owned by his brother and he knew or had reason to know that all government contracts should follow PPCC regulations and procedures.
The action of both Bill Tweahway and Kanio Bai Gbala was not only, corruption, conflict of interest and insider trading, it was also gross abuse of power and this has left many witnesses to wonder what has LACC done so far since the situation came to the public.
The international partners to include ECOWAS, African Union, Mano River Union, the American Embassy near Monrovia, the European Union, Council of Churches, the Muslim Community and Civil Society Organizations are being watched by Liberians as the political ploy navigates thru the LACC against the NEC Chair as the country moves into the 2023 general elections.