MONROVIA: The Eminent Women of the Women’s Situation Room (WSR) and the Liberian Council of Churches (LCC) have expressed deep concern about a statement made by the Secretary General of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), Jefferson Tamba Koijee, calling on CDCians to prepare for Victory Celebration as the CDC has won the October 10 Presidential and Legislative elections.
LCC Secretary General, Rev. Christopher Wleh Toe, who read the joint statement over the weekend said, the CDC Secretary General told a large gathering of partisans at the party’s national headquarters, on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, to prepare for victory celebration ahead of the official pronouncement of results from the National Elections Commission (NEC).
According to him, the CDC Secretary General cannot be coming out to make pronouncement of victory when the final tally of results has not been announced by the NEC, and where 99% of the tally clearly states there will be a run-off election.
Rev. Toe quoted Koijee as assuring his CDC supporters that preparations for the inauguration scheduled for next January, were well underway, indicating that “Let’s get ready for the inauguration, We want to celebrate like never before”, Koijee is quoted as saying.
He said the Liberian Council of Churches and the Women’s Situation Room see the CDC Secretary General’s victory remarks as premature and a source of provoking violence in the country.
“We are calling on him and other officials to wait until the final results are announced by the NEC. Even were NEC to announce a run-off, we must be cautious in proclaiming victory before NEC gives the final results,” he said.
Rev. Toe used the occasion to call on the leadership of CDC to inform their partisans to desist from pre-celebration announcements, as it would contribute to sparking violence. “NEC must similarly take issue with the CDC and condemn the premature victory remarks”.
He disclosed that, on 16 October 2023, the Liberian Council of Churches and the Women’s Situation Room of the Angie Brooks International Centre For Women Empowerment, Leadership Development, Peace & Security (ABIC) at a Press Conference, issued a joint statement, calling on the citizens of Liberia to remain calm and non-violent as we await the final announcement from the National Elections Commission (NEC) of the elections results.
The Liberian cleric, however, urged the exuberant Unity Party that was in the forefront of calling for a victory celebration before NEC announcement of final results to desist from said pronouncement as it would be provocative and untimely as well as inciteful contrary to their signatory of the Farmington River Declaration.
“We ask all political parties to not yield to provocative statements and continue to remain calm and non-violent,” he said.
He cautioned NEC to investigate and respond to the many issues that have the potential to compromise the integrity of the data that is being put out in the public – real or imagined.
According to him, “after acclamation of a peaceful elections, Liberians do not want to have aspersion cast on us.”
He urged all those not satisfied with the results to pursue the legal mechanism for redress as emphasized by LCC and The Eminent Women of the Women’s Situation Room (WSR), in their earlier Press Release.
