VOINJAMA, Lofa – Reports reaching The Bush Chicken from Voinjama, Lofa say eighty aliens have been denied access to the ongoing voter registration for not meeting the National Elections Commission’s eligibility criteria.
Lofa is situated in northern Liberia and borders Sierra Leone and Guinea.
NEC magistrate for Lofa, Robert Sirleaf, said 73 aliens of Guinean nationality were removed from queues in Quardu Boundi, Voinjama, Zorzor and Salayea after failing to answer questions from the registrars.
Sirleaf said immigration officers had earlier rejected seven of the aliens in lower Lofa’s voter registration centers in Kolahun, Vahun and Foya.
He explained that the rejected individuals had admitted during preliminary investigations that they were paid by some Liberian aspirants in the upcoming general and presidential elections to acquire the voter registration cards.
“There are lots of porous borders in lower Lofa County,†Sirleaf said.
Sirleaf did not also state which measure will be instituted against the Guineans for falsifying their citizenship but stressed that some immigration officers are collaborating with the registration centers to better identify suspected aliens.
He added that statistics gathered show that 8,707 females and 8,398 males have registered so far in Lofa.
In a related development, 11 people were arrested in Monrovia over the past few days for their involvement in voter registration fraud.
Abraham Dolley, director of communications at the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization, told The Bush Chicken that four Liberians named Rose Kollie, John Flomo, Amelia Kollie and Flomo Kollie were arrested for double registration. He said they had been investigated and forwarded to the Liberia National Police.
Dolley mentioned that all 11 suspects were arrested in the Soul Clinic and Gbangay Town communities.
Featured photo courtesy of Voter Registration Liberia, Carter Center
