MONROVIA: Ahead of Tuesday, June 28, 2022, By-election in Lofa County, a local Rights group, under the banner: “African Platform for Human Rights and Governance (APHRC),” has deployed a team of observers to various districts in the County.
According to the group’s Executive Director, Atty. Bowoulo Taylor Kelley, the team left for Lofa on Sunday, June 26, 2022, and will focus on monitoring election violence activities.
The Observer Team will also take into account the entire election cycle.
The group added that the team will also monitor the six Senatorial Candidates and their key supporters for statements that will be made to undermine the peace that the country has built over the years.
Atty. Kelley added that the group is a new group with a focus on the following: Human rights education/training and litigation, advocacy and research on human rights and democratic development, consultancy on human rights reporting (shadow, alternative reporting to human rights and charter based treaty bodies), Legislative review and reforms.
The Lofa County by-election came into being after former Defense Minister Brownie Jeffery Samukai, lost his seat following a Supreme Court ruling.
Lofa County currently has 187,775 registered voters who are expected to go to the poll on Tuesday to elect their new Senator.
Those qualified by the NEC to contest in the poll are Momo Tarnue Kollie Cyrus, Independent Candidate; Mariamu Beyan Fofana (F), Independent Candidate; Joseph Kpator Jallah (M), Independent; and George Beyan Samah (M), Independent Candidate.
Others include Galakpai W. Kortimai (M) Unity Party; and Sumo G. Kupee (M) People’s Unification Party.
However, the African Platform for Human Rights and Governance (APHRG) was established in January 2021 to fill the vacuum of substantive human rights focus on litigation, human rights education, legal review and reforms and advocacy-based research.
Against this background, the African Platform for Human Rights and Governance has decided to intervene in the human rights landscape to review legislations, policies, conduct research and advocacy and proposed legislative and policy reforms to alleviate the crisis in the human rights sector.
