IPEWS:The Co-chairperson at the National Elections Commission (NEC), Commissioner Cllr. P. Teplah Reeves, has instructed security guards at the entrance of the NEC not to allow the Chairperson of the Commission, Madam Davidetta Brown-Lansanah, into the compound.
At the moment, Ms. Lansanah is under suspension from the President of Liberia, Mr. Joseph Nyumah Boakai.
President Boakai suspended her on January 15, 2025 for an indefinite period for actions in violation of the Elections Law.
The suspension follows an investigation into recent protests by aggrieved NEC workers regarding administrative decisions taken without proper consultation. According to the findings, Madam Browne-Lansanah unilaterally announced the closure of the NEC office for one month and dismissed 25 employees without the knowledge or approval of the NEC Board of Commissioners, as required by law.
The President cited Section 2.1 and Section 2.10(d) of the Elections Law, which vests the authority to conduct NEC affairs in the Board of Commissioners as a collective body. The law mandates that decisions involving corrective measures against employees must be taken in consultation with the Board, not by the Chairperson or any individual commissioner acting alone.
“While the committee constituted to investigate the grievances of NEC workers was actively addressing the matter, Madam Browne-Lansanah took precipitous and unilateral actions, thereby undermining the integrity and stability of the institution,” the President stated.
The President expressed concern that such actions could adversely impact the NEC’s ability to conduct by-elections scheduled within the next two months, while also creating a toxic working environment at the Commission.
In her instruction to guards at the entrance, Co-chair Reeves states: “You are hereby instructed to stop/prevent the Suspended Chairperson of the National Elections Commission as of today Friday, January 24, 2025 from entry in the premises of the Commission pending instruction from the Executive Mansion .”
Impeccable sources within the Commission indicate that prior to this “Interoffice memo” to the security from the Co-chairperson, she had allegedly instructed the reinstated staff to go to the Chairperson’s office and ask her to get out, echoing the same message she sent to the guards. This happened less than an hour after the dismissed staffers were reinstated.
The sources further noted that the Co-chairperson stated she was acting on instructions from the Mansion.
Usually, when the President suspends a government official, an acting official is appointed to ensure continuity in leadership and operations. However, this protocol was not followed in the case of the National Elections Commission (NEC).
The Co-chairperson and other Commissioners have expressed concerns that the Chairperson has been managing the Commission in a unilateral manner, making decisions without consultation. This raises an important question: does the decision to prevent the Chairperson from entering the compound of the NEC, a collective decision made by the Board of Commissioners (BOC)? If so, it is not reflected in the Interoffice Memo.
Such an action could be viewed as a serious gross insubordination, not only towards the Chairperson but also towards the Presidency/Executive Mansion that has been actively negotiating to find a resolution to the ongoing crisis at the Commission.
