Following a contentious night of claims and counter-claims of who leads in the polling in Montserrado County for the County’s seat at the Senate, the election governing body, the National Elections Commission (NEC) has finally commenced the prouncement provisional results yesterday for eight counties putting four candidates of the opposition Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) in the lead.
Provisional results announced Thursday by the National Elections Commission puts the opposition Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) senatorial candidate, incumbent Senator Abraham Darius Dillon, comfortably ahead of his main Montserrado County rival, District #5 Representative Thomas P. Fallah, to 26,697 votes, representing 36.3%, while CPP Dillon is in the lead with 44,692 representing 60-8%.
The Commission’s Chairperson Davidetta Brown Lansanah disclosed during a press conference, at the NEC Headquarters that the tallied votes represent 423 out of 1,983 polling places counted in Montserrado County.
Other CPP candidates in the provisional lead for their respective counties, according to the NEC official results, include the incumbent Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence of Grand Bassa with 8,608 constituting 47.5%, Bong County‘s Prince Kermue Moye with 1,678 accounting for 52.6%, and Simeon Boima Taylor of Grand Cape Mount accumulating 1,333 representing 37.2%.
The official results also indicates that Grand Bassa County siting senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence (47.5%) leads Gbezongar Milton Findley who accumulates 8,018 votes accounting for 44.3%; in Bong County, Representative Prince Kermue Moye (52.6%) of the CPP leads incumbent Senator Henry Yallah who amasses 1,206, equivalent to 37.8% while the CPP’s Simeon Boima Taylor (37.2%) leads independent candidate Fodee Kromah who accrues 696 votes accounting 19.4 percent.
The other rest of the four counties were Nimba, led by Jeremiah Kpan Koungo of the MDR gathers 3,361 votes accounting for 38.5% followed by Edith Lianue Gongloe Weh with 1,646 votes which represents 18.9%; Margibi County, Emmanuel James Nuquay of the People’s Unification Party (PUP) obtained 1,504 translating 52.0% over Ivar Kokulo Jones of the CDC who gets 1,099 votes or 38.0%; Maryland County led by James Biney of the CDC amassing 1,344 votes calculated at 36.3%, followed by incumbent H. Dan Morais who snatched 1,178 votes Constituting 31.8%; and Gbarpolu County where Botoe Kanneh, an independent candidate obtains 922 votes or 37.1% over Paul Koulboi Kennedy of LIN who achieved 731 votes representing 29.4%.
Other contestants are Independent Candidate Bernard DJ Blue Benson (963 votes or 1.3%); Phil Tarpeh Dixon (601 votes or 0.8%), Independent Candidate Evangeline Israel King (155 votes or 0.2%), Sheikh Al-Mustapha Kouyateh (126 votes or 0.2%), Siah Jarmie Tandanpolie of the MPC (34 votes or 0.0%), Cecelia Siaway Teah of the NDC (16 or 0.0%), Independent candidate Isaac Vah Tukpah (149 votes or 0.2%) and Jamima K. H. Wolokollie of the MOL (14 or 0.0%), amongst others.
The initial announcement of provisional results comes in the wake of escalating tension among supporters of both ruling and opposition parties, who have been engaged in an intense psychological warfare even before announcement of the NEC provisional results.
Supporters of Senator Dillon had been jubilating since Tuesday evening as results started pouring in from polling places across the county.
Tally sheets in possession of the CPP even showed that Representative Fallah had suffered massive defeat in key undisputed CDC strongholds within most slum communities.
The often rambunctious ruling CDC had suddenly turned quiet for the most parts of Wednesday. But by late Wednesday running into Thursday, as rumors flooded on social media that the ruling party was scheming to turn the results against Senator Dillon, CDC supporters suddenly grew emboldened, remarking that their candidate was leading the opposition candidate.
But according to NEC, the public should rely on the results that were placed on walls at all polling places.
“The Commission is pleased to inform you that all political party agents, Independent Candidates Representatives, local and International Observers and the Media in each polling place were allowed to witness the sorting, reconciliation, and counting of votes at all polling places across the country.
The result from each polling place was on the wall for public viewing. Additionally, copies of the results were given to the first two representatives who obtained highest vote gathered at every polling place. Thereafter, the original copies of results from each polling place was placed in a temper evident envelope for delivery here at our tally center for processing,” NEC Chairman Lansanah said.
Following the NEC’s pronouncement yesterday, supporters of the CDC were still claiming that their candidate stands a brighter chance of winning the Montserrado senate seat because more votes had not been tallied.
“T5 da man. Tomorrow it will drop to 53% Dillon, T5 44%. Saturday; 49% Dillon, T5 46%. Monday, you will know sense or get baptized,” remarked one staunch CDC/Thomas Fallah supporter Thursday.
But pundits have opined that with the CDC losing in most of their populated strongholds in urban slum communities, the chances of Representative Thomas Fallah upending Senator Dillon’s commanding lead could be the case of finding a needle in a haystack.
Meanwhile, the NEC authorities have promised to keep updating the public daily until the final winners for the elections are known. NEC Chairperson Davidetta Brown Lansanah also disclosed that that results for the various categories of the 2020 processes including the midterm senatorial election, National referendum, the two representative by-elections in Sinoe and Montserrado will be announced in stages starting with the senatorial results.
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