BY: VARNEY DUKULY
MONROVIA: Following several posts on social media originating from individuals believed to be members and supporters of the former ruling Unity Party (UP) relating to the just-ended Lofa County by-election, alleging irregularities during the polls, the National Elections Commission (NEC) has been seemingly crying wolf.
The Country’s electoral body, NEC, has been accused by internet posters on social media of placing conflicting numbers of votes on the Lofa polls of the two main candidates, including the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), backed Independent, Cllr. Joseph Jallah; and Galakpai Kortimai of the Unity Party.
Interestingly, few days into the alleged irregularities that characterized the June 28, 2022, By-Election in Lofa, the National Elections Commission (NEC), released a public announcement that its Public Information Service has admitted to attack by some internet hackers.
According to NEC, the internet hackers are bent on distorting the Commission’s website by infusing false information about the results of the just-ended senatorial by-elections in Lofa County.
The announcement of the NEC as regards the hacking of its website followed days after the Commission officially declared the ruling CDC supported independent candidate, Cllr. Joseph Jallah, as the winner over other contestants including the former ruling Unity Party’s candidate, Galakpai Kortimai, in the June 28 Senatorial by-election in Lofa County.
The latest action by the hackers, according to NEC, has been communicated to the Ministry of Justice for investigation and subsequent report on the matter.
NEC, in its statement, issued over the weekend, did not name anyone who may be associated with the alleged hacking of its website but described them as ‘unknown persons.’
“Since the 30th of June 2022 announcement of the first tallied results from the 28, June, 2022, Lofa County Senatorial By-elections, there have been attempts by some unknown persons to hack the public service information of the National Elections Commission website to distort the information and to spread misinformation to the public about the results of the just-ended Lofa Senatorial by-election,” NEC pointed out.
Moreover, prior to releasing the final results which placed CDC-backed independent candidate Cllr. Joseph Jallah as winner of the Lofa County by-election, there were issues of electoral irregularities raised by independent observers.
For instance, an electoral civil society organization, the Elections Coordinating Committee(ECC), headed by Mr. Oscar Blor, quotes the ECC observers as saying that “On June 29, 2022, the day after the election, tension ensued between rival supporters of Unity Party’s Galakpai Kortimai and Independent candidate, Joseph Jallah, following separate pronouncements on local radio stations in Foya District by Representative Thomas Fallah and the Unity Party spokesman in Lofa, Peter T. O. James, with both sides claiming victory and calling on their respective supporters to celebrate.”
ECC further reported that its observers noted inconsistencies in how NEC staff addressed the issue of voters whose names were missing from its (NEC’s) Final Registration Roll (FRR).
For example, in 11% of polling places observed by the ECC, voters with valid voter cards but whose names were missing on the NEC’s FRR were permitted to vote.
ECC added that “In keeping with the NEC’s Polling and Counting Manual Chapter 4 on ‘Determining Who May Not Vote’ sub-section E states that “A person may not vote if she/he cannot be found in the voters’ roll”.
Interestingly, it is not clear how said voter cards were obtained by those concerned.
However, other observers are of the view that the election of Cllr. Jallah who was highly bankrolled by the ruling establishment for the Lofa County senatorial seat will now square up the county’s representation in the Senate, the Upper House of Liberia’s bicameral Legislature.
Lofa County, for almost a year and a half, has been without proper representation at the National Legislature particularly the Senate due to the criminal conviction of then Senator- elect, Brownie Jeffery Samukai, by the Supreme Court of Liberia.
Officially, NEC said Cllr. Jallah got 22,019 votes to defeat his closest rival, Galakpai Kortimai, of the Unity Party who accumulated a total of 21,229 votes.
According to the 2008 National Census, Lofa County has a population of 276,863 with registered voters of 187, 775, in the NEC data system.
How be it, out of the total registered voters, 62, 0519, equivalent to 33.29 percent turned out on voting day to cast their ballots.
There were four other candidates who also contested the process making the number six but some of them have conceded defeat including independent candidate, Momo Cyrus.
Howbeit, the Unity Party (UP) of former Vice President Joseph Boakai is yet to officially acknowledge its reported defeat in the just-ended Lofa County By- Elections.
Although NEC did not give detailed accounts as regards those it calls Hackers, the term, according to computer scholars, refers to anyone who uses their abilities to gain unauthorized access to systems or networks in order to commit cybercrimes.
Hackers are sometimes called ‘Crackers’ with the primary intent to steal corporate data, violate privacy rights, among others.
