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Claim: A news media institution claimed that Matenokay Tingban had been declared a candidate in an ensuing Nimba by-election
Verdict: Misleading! NEC says it has not declared any candidates for the Nimba elections.
Full Text
The county of Nimba, in Liberia, is set to go to a senatorial bye-election on April 22 this year.
This follows the death of Senator Prince Johnson, who many regarded as the political god-father of the county.
As defined by Liberia’s election authority, the National Elections Commission (NEC), a by-election is any election called to fill vacancies created by an unexpired term in an elective position other than the president and vice president.
In the wake of activities leading to election day, a news media institution, Hott FM, published on Facebook that a former Nimba lawmaker, Matenokay Tingban, had been declared a candidate in an ensuing election.
DUBAWA verified the news as part of efforts to promote truth during elections.
Verification
DUBAWA read through the by-election key dates as published by the NEC.
Picture of the key dates from the NEC.
The candidate nomination period began on March 3 and ended on March 14, 2025. The “provisional list of candidates” was made public on March 17, 2025.
The election commission sets March 31, 2025, as the date for the “publication of the final list of candidates.”
DUBAWA also contacted the NEC through its Communications Director, Prince Dunbar, to verify the information coming from Hott FM further. Dunbar said the NEC has not declared any candidates for the upcoming election.
“We have no candidates,” he said. “NEC has not declared anybody as a candidate yet.”
He said publishing the provisional list does not mean a person is a candidate in the election.
“The provisional list means that we have received the documents of some people, and we are scrutinising the documents,” Dunbar said. “On the 31st of March, the final list of candidates will be published.”
Conclusion
Hott FM’s post that Matenokay Tingban has been declared a candidate in the Nimba by-election is misleading.
