By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor in Monrovia
It appears that the public is far from getting the actual happenings that took place between the partisans of the Coalition for Democratic Change of Montserrado County Senator George Manneh Weah and the partisans of Liberty Party of Cllr. Charles Brumskine that led to the clashes between partisans of the two parties in Sanniquelle, Nimba County.
According to the Vice Standard Bearer of the Liberty Party, who hails from the same county, Mr. Harrison Karnwea, officials of the party had earlier informed the police assigned in the county about its tour of Nimba county and the request was subsequently granted.
But to the dismayed of the party, on Wednesday morning, September 20, Karnwea alleged, while the campaign rally was on, about 30 cars convoy carrying the CDC campaign team was sighted from the last bridge before the welcome gate of the city.
Karnwea said the police then immediately tried to intervene by appealing to the CDC to take a detour, but the party reportedly refused and violently forced their way to the grounds that hosted the Liberty Party offices where the campaign program was being held.
The Liberty Party office is directly opposite the Presidential Palace in Sanniquelle, Nimba County.
Upon seeing the interaction between the police and the CDC, some partisans of the Liberty Party reportedly became blocking the road leading to the Yekepa Plantation, something that might have angered partisans of the CDC, an eye witness said.
The police appealed to the officials of the Liberty Party to move their vehicles toward their office in order to create passage for the CDC convoy, but the LP partisans refused, our sources said.
But the Campaign Manager of the CDC, Prof. Wilson Tarpeh, said that upon approaching the county’s capital, the advance team of the CDC headed by Mulbah Morlu and Montserrado County Representative Thomas Fallah, informed them that Liberty Party partisans had blocked the main road with vehicles. Mr. Tarpeh said similar thing was done on the Tubman Boulevard in Monrovia during the launch of their political campaign.
The county police tried to appeal to the Liberty Party to use one side of the main street of the Sanniquelle, but the party refused on grounds that the program was actively ongoing.
Also the police informed the CDC to take the detour, but it was realized that the detour road is bad and cars have not used the road for months.
He alleged, while the police was trying to create corridor for common grounds, some partisans of the Liberty Party started throwing stones at the convoy of the CDC, thereby igniting tension.
According to Prof. Tarpeh, the battle cried group of the CDC helped to put thing under control, the cars belonging to the Liberty that were used to block the road were removed peacefully and transferred to the police station.
But the Vice Chairman for Operations of the Liberty Party, Mr. Abraham Darious Dillon said that the partisans of the CDC reportedly damaged LP’s cars, Public Announcement System, and took away their generator that was supplying power during the program. He alleged that the CDCians also injured some partisans.
Dillon claimed that some the partisans of the Liberty Party are undergoing medical treatment in a government hospital.
The CDC has denied allegations. It’s Deputy Secretary, Mr. Samora Wolokollie yesterday morning on a local radio said the allegations against the CDCians were untrue.
The Spokesman of the National Elections Commission, Mr. Henry Flomo said, as far as to his knowledge, of the 20 presidential contestants, only the Unity Party and Coalition for Democratic Change have submitted their campaign activities to the commission.
The campaign plans inform the Commission how a party intends to tour the country and avoid clashes with other contenders, Mr. Flomo said.
