Montserrado County senatorial aspirant, Bernard Blue Benson, says he has filed an official complaint with the National Elections Commission (NEC) over the “fraudulent” nature of the ongoing voters roll update.
Addressing a live news conference at his Snapper Hill office, the media mogul turned politician highlighted that NEC is treading on a dangerous path with the voters roll update.
“I’ve called everybody here to let you know that we have officially filed a complaint with the National Elections Commission on issues that I’ve been raising, including the rampant and plain daylight trucking of Liberians from district to district—a feat that is taking place all over the country,” he said. “In addition to that, the multiplicity of registration of a single voter that is being displayed on social media.”
The complaint, a copy of which is in possession with this paper, highlighted the rampant bussing of registrants across county lines, and Benson said it is becoming worrying for everyone who is involved in the upcoming midterm senatorial elections on December 8.
“The phenomenon is creating an artificial appearance of constituents in the counties,” the complaint stated.
Displaying cards of individuals who registered more than once in the same precincts, he mentioned that NEC must respond due to the gravity of the situation. “These are very, very pertinent issues—everybody is crying about the multiplicity of registration.”
He furthered that the NEC has disabled the voter’s verification link on its website, suggesting a sinister motive. “We want to find out why because this information is where we need to use that link. Since I appeared on the morning show [Prime FM], that link has been disabled.”
He lamented that the electoral body can not continue to remain nonchalant in the face of glaring pieces of evidence of fraud that is being perpetrated by individuals whose names he did not mention.
Quoting a section of the new elections law, Benson said NEC’s staff are not engaging in any form of verification to ascertain whether a registrant is qualified to participate in the process.
“How many people are taking birth certificates or passport to ascertain the age or nationality? I’ve been there, I’ve seen, the lines are long, the staff is few, the time needed is too short far between—so these are all reasons this process needs to be halted!”
He said the process, which needs to be free, fair, and transparent is a far cry from what it should be. “ I think the process is fraudulent and had been a fraud from the onset.
