Claim: George Weah had won every other election in Grand Bassa County in the absence of Counselor Charles Brumskine (now deceased), said Assistant Minister Esiaka Sheriff.
Verdict: Mostly False. “In 2005, former President Sirleaf defeated Mr Weah in the run-up elections. The claimant, however, could not cite additional elections apart from 2017.”
Full Text
Assistant Internal Affairs Minister Esiaka Sheriff has paid glowing tribute to the electoral fortunes of incumbent president George Weah, who is seeking re-election in the upcoming polls in October.
Speaking on OK Morning Rush on May 29, 2023, Mr Sheriff said Mr Weah’s electoral victory in Grand Bassa County, the southern part of the country, is impressive.
The conversation, which brought together other opposition members, was to discuss, among other things, who wins Grand Bassa County and why the incumbent president, Weah, should be given another six-year mandate by the people of Liberia.
Sharing his perspective, Mr Sheriff told the platform that the President has a better chance of winning Grand Bassa County. His reason was that Counselor Charles Brumskine, a major opposition leader and founder of the Liberty Party and a dominant force in Grand Bassa County, is now late.
He went on to say that, but for the presence of Counselor Charles Brumskine and the electoral defeat in 2011, Weah had won Grand Bassa County in every Presidential run-off election.
He was convinced that not even the selection of Charlyne Brumskine, daughter of the fallen Bassa hero, as running mate to Mr Alexander Cummings of the opposition CPP could affect the electoral fortunes of President Weah in Grand Bassa County.
He made the particular statement around the 57:25sec of the interview, which lasted for over two hours.
Grand Bassa County is one of the three original counties that formed the Republic of Liberia. It is the home of the Bassa people from where the late Counselor Brumskine hailed. Until his death, he was popular in the Grand Bassa County elections.
But is it true that except for the 2011 elections as well as the presence of Counselor Charles Brumskine, President George Weah would have won every other election in Grand Bassa County? Given the interest and controversy the claim has generated, DUBAWA decided to interrogate the issue.
Verification
Data from Liberia’s National Elections Commission shows that apart from 2011, President Weah had lost some elections in the Grand Bassa County. So DUBAWA reached out to Mr Sheriff for some clarity on the claim, but he did not respond, as can be seen below;
DUBAWA assessed and scrutinised results from the National Elections Commission in Liberia. The data shows that even though President Weah won the Grand Bassa County in the Presidential run-off election in 2017, accumulating 74.69%, he lost the Grand Bassa County in the 2005 election. In that election, ex-president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf flogged the global soccer legend in the same county in the run-off election. Statistics from the election house indicated that Mr Weah lost to Madam Sirleaf.
Also in 2020, during the midterm senatorial election in Liberia, specifically in Grand Bassa County, President Weah, who supported his then Foreign Minister Gbehzongar Milton Findley, could not deliver Grand Bassa.
Results from NEC revealed that the county was won by Senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence, who ran on the late Counselor Charles Brumskine Liberty Party ticket.
Conclusion
Apart from 2011, President Weah has won every election in Grand Bassa County and the 2017 run-off election. Therefore, the claim is mostly false!
