Sierra Leoneans Asked to Arrest NEC Magistrate for Fraud -But David Armah Quashes Claims as Lies, Propaganda

In the wake of the recent electoral violence in Western Liberia, accusations continue to mount about the involvement of Grand Cape Mount County National Elections Commission Magistrate David Armah in electoral fraud. The latest accusation from Madam Bendu Griffins Washington claims that Mr. Armah was seen last Wednesday sneaking from Liberia into Sierra Leone by way of the Bo Waterside border point in a NEC vehicle loaded with voter registration boxes and materials to go and register people in Sierra Leone for them to come to Liberia to vote.

“He is the one that is supposed to ensure that the election is done correctly, but he’s working on behalf of the CDC incumbent, Victor Watson. The whole undercover operation is being footed by Idrissa Mansaray,” Madam Washington claimed in a social media post Thursday.

“The voters’ roll is totally messed up. You got pictures with no name registered. You got names with no picture registered. You got same name registration with ID and everything, on four different cards sometimes, with different pictures. Then he wants to sneak into Sierra Leone,” she accused.

She disclosed that she had tried calling Mr. Armah on his Orange and LoneStar Cell MTN numbers but both numbers were switched off.

Madam Washington further called on the Government and people of Sierra Leone to find and arrest Mr. David Armah for creating possible incitement of violence against their people.

“Because when the police in Liberia arrest their people, the Sierra Leoneans will get mad. The Liberian people shouldn’t be fooled. Why is the president not speaking? Where is the world? Where is the US Embassy? Where is ECOWAS? Where is the UN? Where is the EU? Where is the AU? How come everybody will sit down and don’t say anything? We are tired of these crooks; we will say it,” Madam Washington fumed, cautioning, “We want our country elections to be free and fair. Let the best person win, but don’t come here with your cheating and inciting violence.”

When this paper contacted Magistrate David Armah regarding the allegations against him, the NEC Grand Cape Mount County Magistrate said he was in Robertsport, Grand Cape Mount County and would be coming to Monrovia today Friday.

He however debunked all of the accusations made against him regarding his alleged involvement in carrying election materials into Sierra Leone to register Sierra Leoneans for the December 8, 2020 midterm senatorial elections.

“It’s all lies. It is Simeon Taylor who is making the propaganda. How will I be brave to take elections materials from Liberia and cross into Sierra Leone? I don’t even know the Mansaray man. I have no dealings with him. The last time I saw him was when they were certificating Senator Victor Watson. That’s how someone showed him to me. But Simeon had always linked me with this Mansaray guy. In fact, there is a lady called Bendu Griffin who is carrying my name all over social media, that she saw me with election materials going into Sierra Leone through Bo Waterside,” Mr. Armah stated.

He defied all of his accusers to prove that he is involved in taking electoral materials into Sierra Leone or anywhere out of Liberia for that matter.

“I am telling my authorities, if they find out that the magistrate car had passed here with election materials inside, they should dismiss me. These are cheap propaganda. I am a man with integrity. Simeon is passing through people to lie because he cannot easily implicate me. But I am not deterred,” Armah declared.

He wondered what sense does it make for someone like him who is knowledgeable about the electoral laws to abuse the very law.

“I play with the Constitution then why should I take election materials across to Sierra Leone? Simeon did the same thing to me in 2017. I was right here in Robertsport getting ready to go to church when he called that my team had crossed into Sierra Leone. I had to cut off my service, only to get there and spend five days, and they could not produce evidence. The police wrote the report and served us copies, and served the superintendent copies also. And I warned him that what he was doing was not good. Does it make sense for an organized family man like me to behave like a common criminal?” Mr. Armah wondered.

Armah said he has text messages stored in his phone from the past byelection where Simeon Taylor tried to suggest that he Armah should influence the votes in his Taylor’s favor.

“Not because I am from Gola Konneh should I cheat for anyone from Gola Konneh. Even this morning he called to ask me why we are not placing the registration results on the board. He wants to dictate to people about something he doesn’t know. Nobody can coerce me to go contrary as it relates to the TOR of the conduct of elections. I have vast experience and can’t be that stupid to do the wrong thing. I challenge what they are saying. I am ready to be dismissed and face the full weight of the law if what they are saying is true,” Mr. Armah informed this paper with confidence.