The recent release of the voter registration figures by Sierra Leone’s National Electoral Commission has expectedly provoked intense scrutiny and comments from Sierra Leoneans at home and abroad. One of these commentators is Mr. Olu Beckley, who resides in Virginia, USA. Mr. Beckley has noted a lot of flaws in the report submitted for public consumption by NEC and wonders whether somebody somewhere is not trying to play games with the destiny of the people of Sierra Leone. We publish below Mr. Beckly’s observations:
Preview of the Preliminary Voter Registration Lists- 55,651 registered voters are questionable- The numbers do not add up.
A cursory look at the preliminary registration figures raises some very serious analomies as analyzed below:
1. Bonthe District
a. The population of Bonthe District as per the 2004 Population Census report is 139,687, i.e. (Bonthe District-129,947 and Shebro Urban District 9,740) and this is correctly reported by NEC. If you add up the number of registered voters (77,659) to the total population not registered,(as shown on the NEC preliminary voter registration as per Friday March 30,2007) the answer is 155,318. Thus the numbers released by NEC puts the population of the district over and above the census figures by 15,631 votes.
b. If we assume that the population that did register never showed up and that number of 77,659 is correct, then the number of registered voters should be equal to the total population as per the 2004 population census (139,687) minus the number of unregistered voters (77,659). Therefore the actual number of registered voters in Bonthe District should be equal to 62,028, and not 77,659 as reported by NEC.
c. Where did the extra 15,631 registered votes for Bonthe District come from?
2. Koinandugu District
a. The total population for Koinandugu district as per the 2004 population census is equal to 265,758 and not 265,765 as reported by the Electoral Commissioner (up by 7)?
3. Kambia District
a. The total population for Kambia district as per the 2004 population census is equal to 270,462 and that figure is reported accurately by the Electoral Commissioner.
b. However if we add up the number of registered voters (134,881) and the total population not registered (175,601), we get a new population figure of 310,482 for Kambia district. Where did the new figure come from?
c. Similarly, if we assume that the population that did not register never showed up and that number of 175,601 is accurate, then the number of registered voters should be equal to the total population as per the 2004 population census (270,462) minus the number of unregistered voters (175,601). Therefore the actual number of registered voters in Kambia District should be equal to 94,861 and not 134,881 as reported by the National Electoral Commission.
d. The question is where did the extra 40,020 votes come from?
This cursory look at the figures already questions the veracity of the whole registration exercise. 55,561 votes are more than enough to tilt the elections one way or the other. This and some of the reports highlighted and others put a huge question mark on the integrity and credibility of the Commission.
For more than $30 million we need better and accurate reporting of information. A cursory look at the numbers by a senior official should have highlighted the inaccuracies. We hope this is not an attempt to pad the figures.
Kambia and Bonthe are two battleground districts which may decide the outcome of the 2007 elections and to pad the number of registered voters in these two districts in favor of any of the parties contesting the elections can be likened to a coordinated campaign to subvert the will of the people in 2007.
Interestingly, the total number of registered voters in Bonthe (77,659) is exactly equal to the total # of the population that did not register (77,659). What a coincidence!
This matter needs to be investigated. Somebody is playing games somewhere. The UN and the donors funding these elections need to investigate these very obvious discrepancies.
Olu Beckley
1900 South Eads Street, #903
Arlington, Virginia, 22202
USA
Photo: Christiana Thorpe, NEC boss.
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