Africa-Press – Liberia. The people of Tchein (Electoral District #1), Grand Gedeh County, are annoyed and are demanding answers from the National Elections Commission (NEC) over the failure of the certification of late Rep. Erol Madison Gwion as the winner of District #1, Grand Gedeh County, during the December 8 certification of winners of the October 10 elections.
Tchein District, through the late Gwion’s Chief of Staff (COS) Justice Randall Clarke, said Rep. Gwion won undisputedly and convincingly and was announced as the winner, but his name was not mentioned in the certification of winners’ program.
Rep. Gwion died on Monday, December 4. He was 59.
He died nine days after his birthday (November 25) and four days ahead of his official certification by the National Elections Commission.
His death on December 4 created the very first vacancy in the House of Representatives of the 55th Legislature, followed by the second vacancy in the Senate owing to the election of Sen. Jeremiah Koung as Vice President-elect.
NEC certificated 61 Representatives and 12 Senators totaling 73 Lawmakers, for the 55th Legislature, who are poised to constitutionally be seated on January 15, 2024, being the second working Monday of the month.
NEC said the remaining 14 lawmakers – 11 Representatives and 3 Senators will be certificated following resolutions of alleged electoral frauds but failed to mention Rep. Gwion, who won indisputably but died.
The certificates to representatives and Senators constitute the “legal and sufficient” evidence of their elections as winners of the 2023 Legislative Elections and members of the 1st Branch of the Government of the 55th Legislature.
In an exclusive interview with Clarke, he told the Daily Observer that he formally wrote to the NEC inquiring about its failure to certify the late Gwion. According to him, the NEC has yet to respond.
“I convey my sincere compliments and wish to make an inquiry as the Chief of Staff to the fallen Representative, the Right Honorable Erol Madison Gwion, Sr., of District #1, Grand Gedeh County,” Clarke wrote.
“According to the NEC’s 2023 Representatives Election results, in District #1, Grand Gedeh County, Hon. Gwion won a full term of office with 8,651 votes (61.39%) as an incumbent. I kindly seek clarification from your office as to why your institution did not (certificate) print the NEC certificate for Honorable Gwion as well as declined to reflect (mention) his name on the Program as the victor of the election in District #1, Grand Gedeh County during the December 8, 2023 certification ceremony for elections winners at the E. J. Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Congo Town.”
Gwion was a member of the House of Representatives of the 54th Legislature. He succeeded Senator Zoe Emmanuel Pennoh, who was elected to the Senate after having represented the district for two-and-a-half terms (2006 to 2020).
From 2020 to his death (December 4, 2023), the late Gwion was regarded as “Talk and Do” in Grand Gedeh. It was a wide rumor that he was poised to replace Sen. Zoe Pennoh as Senator in 2029.
The late Gwion was overwhelmingly elected in 2020 on the ticket of the Liberia Restoration Party (LRP) and later joined the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC). In 2023, he was decisively reelected during the October 10, 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections and was set to be certificated as a member of the 55th Legislature.
This is the second time a representative died prior to their certification after having been announced winner of an election.
In 2011, Sinoe County District #3 Representative Nelson Wah Bah died after he was pronounced winner that year, while allegedly celebrating his re-election to the House of Representatives.
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