-Enroute for voter registration
Health authority at Zoe-Gweh Medical Center in electoral District#5, Nimba County has confirmed the death of three persons with 12 others hospitalized following a motor accident near Yao – Lepulah Town.
The incident occurred over the weekend when a group of citizens of Person Community about 185 km from Ganta towards Buu-Yao electoral district#5 to participate in the biometric voter registration.
Those who reportedly died on the scene include a six-year-old child, a pregnant woman, and 58-year-old Beatrice Glanma.
The child, a daycare student from Monrovia was on her way to speak to her mother in Nyor Diaplay Town, while the pregnant woman from District #5 was living in Vally Community, Ganta and the 58-year-old deceased was the sister of a representative aspirant, James G.K. Sumah, who was allegedly trucking some eligible voters to have them registered.
According to the report, since the BVR process kicked off in the county, representative aspirants, including those seeking re-election have been allegedly trucking people from one county to another, including from Ganta to Grand Gedeh and Grand Kru County in the southeast, while some leave from Ganta to Bong County, and from Monrovia to Ganta, among others.
The NEW DAWN gathered that this act is taking place in all nine electoral districts in Nimba.
Some of the people being trucked said they received US$50 each to go get registered and wait until after casting the vote on polling day on October 10, to receive the balance of US$50 each.
The huge population of Nimbaians from Kparblee administrative district#6 have reportedly left for Grand Gedeh to get registered, blaming county administration, lawmakers and central government for economic hardship they continue to suffer.
An eyewitness told our correspondent that the driver hired to truck the voters to the BVR center was intoxicated and speeding when he lost control, which resulted in the death of three persons.
Trucking is being carried out in the county on a daily basis. Recently, police in Ganta arrested 43 years old Pastor Daniel Forkpah, for allegedly trucking residents of Boe Community in Ganta to Gbarpolu County to have them registered for his Bishop, who is contesting in electoral district 2.
When contacted, district#5 Aspirant James G.K.Sumah said he was not trucking eligible voters, but rather helping his family members, including citizens from Yao, Nyor, and Mikwia chiefdoms that make up the district to register.
“I was not involved with anything like trucking but rather my own district people and families members that came to my home in the Pearson Community and I provided a pick-up to transport them.
You are a journalist and the public trust your institution fine; it’s out if that is true that I, James G.K Sumah was involved in trucking, the National Elections Commission (NEC) [should] get me out of the election process”, Mr. Sumah denies.