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Claim: “All 11 counties have been licked (won) by President George Weah” is a claim being made by the official campaign spokesperson of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), Cllr. Kanio Bai Gbala
Verdict: Misleading. President Weah did not win 11 counties, according to NEC official results.
Full Text
Following the casting of ballots on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023, the official spokesperson of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), Counselor Kanio Bai Gbala, posted on Facebook that the ruling CDC has won all 11 counties.
Cllr. Bai Gbala said, “All 11 counties have been licked (won). I shall be bringing you percentages shortly,” he said.
Cllr. Gbala named the 11 counties as Montserrado, Bassa, Bong, Maryland, Sinoe, Grand Kru, Grand Gedeh, River Gee, Grand Cape Mount, Rivercess and Margibi counties. Mr Gballa appears to have deleted the post on Facebook even though the screenshot of his post has gone viral.
Verification
In verifying this claim, DUBAWA had to subject the election data for each of the counties cited by Bai Gbala to critical scrutiny.
The post has already generated mixed reactions on social media, with some comments affirming or denying the assertion.
It is important to note that when Bai Gbala shared the post, which had become viral, the National Elections Commission (NEC) is yet to announce the full results of the just-ended polls.
DUBAWA visited the official website of the NEC to ascertain the data. According to the NEC website, of the total of 5,890 polling places across the country, the NEC has tallied 5,888 polling places, representing 99.97%. Of this amount, incumbent George Weah is in the lead with 803,956 votes, constituting 43.84%, ahead of the main opposition Unity Party of former Vice President Joseph Boaka with 796,513, amounting to 43.43%.
To further ascertain the facts of the assertion made by the CDC spokesperson, DUBAWA looked at each of the counties he mentioned. As per Montserrado County, the main opposition Unity Party of Joseph Boakai obtained 322,166 votes, constituting 46.49% ahead of incumbent President George Weah with 319,366, equivalent to 46.08%
The researcher then moved to the next county mentioned, Margibi County. In Margibi County, the opposition Unity Party defeated incumbent president George Weah again. The opposition Unity Party received 63,431 votes, representing 47.08%, while incumbent president George Weah received 56,272, 41.76%.
Conclusion
Based on research and the data on the official website of the National Elections Commission, the claim made by the official spokesperson of the ruling CDC that the party won 11 counties, including Montserrado and Margibi Counties, is misleading.