Candidate Gonpu’s absence less than 48 hours before poll raises residency eyebrows

Published: April 21, 2025

GANTA – Less than two days before eligible voters in Nimba County head to the polls to elect a new senator to replace the late Prince Yormie Johnson, one of the certified candidates—George Parkinson Gonpu—has yet to be seen in the county.

Gonpu registered with the National Elections Commission (NEC) under the African Democratic Movement (ADM), one of the political parties cleared to participate in the race.

He is among seven candidates qualified by the NEC to contest the Nimba County senatorial by-election scheduled for April 22—less than 48 hours from the time of this report.

Gonpu was certified alongside other candidates: Torbor Tee Wonokay Famgalo (independent), B. Mack Gblinwon (Citizens Movement for Change), Edith Lianue Gongloe-Weh (independent), Samuel Gongben Kogar (Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction), Richard Matenokay Tingban (Vision for Liberia Transformation), and Garrison Doldeh Yealue Jr. (independent).

However, unlike the other candidates, Gonpu remains unseen, with no known public presence—no visible campaign team, office, or activities—up to press time.

His absence raises concerns about whether the NEC adequately scrutinized candidates to ensure full compliance with its 2025 by-election regulations.

Part IV, Section 6 (Qualifications for Office and Proof of Such Qualification), specifically 6.1.3, states that a candidate must “be domiciled in Nimba County not less than one year prior to the election.”

If this provision is to be taken seriously, it suggests the NEC may have violated its own regulations by allowing Gonpu to remain on the ballot, despite not having made a single public appearance since the campaign officially began on March 31 and ended April 19.

The NEC has previously taken decisive action in similar matters. It disqualified former aspirant Justin Oldpa Yeazehn for submitting a fraudulent biometric voter registration (BVR) number and referred the case to the Liberia National Police, where Yeazehn was detained overnight.

Additionally, the NEC summoned two candidates—Edith Gongloe-Weh and Tee Wonokay Famgalo—over allegations of BVR ID card fraud. These allegations were brought by the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR), but the party later withdrew its complaint following intervention by Nimba County elders.

With polling day just a stone’s throw away, Gonpu’s continued absence from a race he was officially certified to contest casts a shadow over the integrity of the process, raising more questions than answers.

When contacted by phone, NEC Upper Nimba Magistrate Milton Paye said he had no jurisdiction over the matter and referred this reporter to the NEC’s communications department, legal section, and nomination committee.