Bhofal Chambers Re-Emboldened -Supreme Court Gives Credence to Fraud Suit -Contestants to Face Up in 2 Polling Places

MONROVIA: House Speaker Bhofal Chambers contested in his home district of Sodoken Pleeken for the third time, and as an incumbent. But after the October 10, 2023 polls, the National Elections Commission announced his opponent victorious, and he protested fiercely. Since then he has been perambulating the corridors of the justice system, faulting the electoral process and maintaining he won instead. His final stop was at the nation’s High Court which last week nullified NEC’s results and ruling, specifically in two polling places in a precinct of District 2, Maryland County. This Supreme Court edict, according to some political commentators, is a boost to the Chambers candidature which many thought was blown off and thrown into the political dustbin. The Analyst reports.

After persistently pushing his case to prove that his defeat during the last general election in Sodoken Pleebo District, Maryland County was manipulated and did not represent the wishes of the people, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Bhofal Chambers, finally got justice from the Supreme Court when it ruled favorably, ordering a rerun in two polling places in Sodoken town, Precinct code #27020, District #2, Maryland under strict security presence.

In its judgment delivered on Friday, January 12, 2024 in the case filed by Speaker Chambers against the National Elections Commission (NEC) and Anthony Williams who was declared as winner by NEC, the Supreme Court maintained that Speaker Chambers was able to prove his case that indeed violence took place during the process which violated the constitutional and political franchise of voters there.

The Apex Court ruled thus: “This is an instance, where election violence is proven and in order to ensure that the people are given the opportunity to exercise their constitutional and political franchise, a rerun or recount as the case permits, is necessary. Hence, the evidence having established that the election violence occurred in polling places 1 and 2, Old Sodoken town precinct, code #27020, District #2, Maryland county, a rerun is ordered.

“Wherefore and in view of the foregoing, the ruling of the Board of Commissioners of the National Elections Commission (NEC) affirming the Hearing officer’s ruling, dismissing the appellant’s complaints is hereby reversed. The National Elections Commission(NEC) is hereby ordered to conduct a re-run of the election in polling places 1 and 2, Old Sodoken Town, Precinct code #27020, District #2, Maryland County under strict security presence to ensure that all citizens eligible to vote at the said polling places have the opportunity to fully exercise their constitutional right and franchise.”

The high court ordered the Clerk of the Court to inform NEC accordingly with the view of ensuring that the electoral umpire carries out the mandate for the rerun to be held as soon as possible.

With the judgment handed down by the Supreme Court, all the results in the said polling places have been nullified, putting Chambers, a third term candidate and Speaker of the House for six years,  in a an apparent prime advantage, as 500 votes ahead of Williams going to the rerun.

It can be recalled that Speaker Chambers had objected to the outcome of the elections announced by NEC which adjudged victory in favor of Anthony Williams the candidate of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) and painstakingly went through the legal process to challenge the results.

His quest for a rerun in the disputed areas were turned down by both the hearing officer of NEC and the Board of Commissioners, which necessitated his decision to file his complaints with the Supreme Court.

After the hearing officer had ruled against him at NEC, his legal team told the hearing officer: “Having listened to the ruling, our client received it and will be using his rights to proceed with an appeal with the Board of Commissioners of the National Elections Commission”, to which the officer accepted that it was their right to do so.

Chambers’ legal team at that time said the decision to file an appeal with the Board was due to their conviction that the results as announced by NEC were not the true reflection of what the people voted for.

According to the team, it was very clear that Speaker Chambers, “having served his people for a lengthy time with unmatched developments, had everything going for him during the process until some other forces decided to derail the wishes of the people”.

While he was seeking justice to claim his mandate, the Speaker being a man of peace and a strong believer in the judicial system of the country asked his supporters, well -wishers and people of the district to eschew violence and hate so as to ensure that nothing ugly comes in between and among the residents that will jeopardize the mutual coexistence of the people following the elections.

His legal team had consistently maintained that there was adequate evidence of wanton fraud, flagrant cheating, collusion in some voting centers and precincts in Maryland County District #2 covering Pleebo Sodoken District and a series of controversies involving the appearance of “Country Devil” during the voting hours, which resulted in some observers and other electoral workers fleeing for their lives.

Team Chambers stated emphatically that the “Country Devil”, in collusion with some NEC workers including an NEC staff identified as Miss. Cece Nimely, the Electoral Supervisor in some rural towns namely, Old Sodoken, Gbololu, and Witchoken, took some ballot boxes assisted by some traditional leaders and carried out fraud, cheat and other electoral malpractices.

Team Chambers further contended that several copies of tally sheets which they have “evidence of, showed figures or number of voters, per polling centers, far above the NEC threshold per precinct and center, thus suggesting even more reasons to query the outcome of the present result from that part of Maryland County”.

With the election set to go through a rerun in the two polling places, pundits are of the view that there are strong indications that Speaker Chambers has an edge to emerge victorious at the end of the day and return to the national legislature where he has been representing his people since 2006. His 500 vote advantage is a strong ground to pull victory on his side according to pundits.

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