Rejects ruling in Bong County electoral dispute
Lawyers representing Coalition of Democratic Change (CDC) defeated candidate, Mr. Melvin K. Salvage, has announced an appeal to the Board of Commissioners of the National Elections Commission (NEC) following a ruling dismissing all six counts leveled against defendant Mr. James M. Kolleh of the People Unification Party (PUP).
Atty. Alvin Blackie led the CDC candidate team of lawyers while Cllr. Albert Sims represented PUP.
According to National Elections Commission (NEC) press release, the Hearing Officer dismissed in its entirety the six counts alleging electoral fraud and irregularities.
Hearing Officer, Daniel Newland, in his ruling maintained and reaffirmed the Commission’s earlier decision declaring candidate James M. Kolleh of the People Unification Party, PUP, as winner of the 16 November 2021 Representative By-election in Bong County.
Making the decision on Thursday December 23, 2021, Magistrate, Daniel Newland said the complainant, Mr. Melvin K. Salvage, failed to establish proof as required to nullify the result of the by-election in District #2 of Bong County.
The case grew out of an action by Mr. Melvin K. Salvage, representative candidate of CDC in the 2021 by-election in Electoral District-2 Bong County, as complainant, versus Mr. James M. Kolleh representative candidate of PUP as defendant.
A release from NEC quoted its Upper Bong County elections magistrate, saying the complainant, Mr. Melvin Salvage, did not provide the quantum of evidence to prove the truthfulness of his six counts complaint in keeping with election laws, regulations, procedures and rules. The Ruling Party has suffered several defeats in recent elections.
