-Edith Speaks Out on Nimba Senatorial By-election
By: Shallon S. Gonlor / shallonsgonlor@gmail.com
NIMBA COUNTY — Madam Edith Gongloe-Weh,the narrowly defeated candidate in the Nimba County April 22, 2025, Senatorial By-election, says the voting process was marked by manipulation, intimidation, and coercion by unknown individuals toward her poll watchers.
The recently held senatorial by-election was hailed by many, as they believe it was peaceful and transparent. Independent observers from different CEOs and election observation groups also reported that the process was transparent. But during an appearance on OK FM on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, Madam Gongloe-Weh alleged that her poll watchers in Nimba County District #5 the stronghold of Senator-elect, Samuel Korga experienced severe threats, intimidation, and coercion on election day.
“One of my poll workers shared his experience with me. He said there was a man who kept threatening him with a cutlass. He told him, ‘You see this cutlass; I am the one who will kill you if Edith Gongloe-Weh gets a vote here,” she narrated. Madam Weh said her poll worker was put in fear, and as such, she began to pray to God that nobody votes for her in a particular center she refused to name.
“Mama, I was praying that nobody vote for you in that area because I didn’t want to die. He told me that the perpetrators were not even voting at that location but were just there to observe and that the threats felt real and terrifying,” Madam Weh quoted. She claimed that the atmosphere of fear and intimidation was influenced by remarks made by Vice President Jeremiah Koung, who, according to her, made her the central target of his campaign rhetoric.
Her words, “This was happening because of the Vice President’s statements—he is the second most powerful man in the country. When he said no Mano man should vote for me, and no Dan man should vote for me and kept making my name the center of his campaign—‘Don’t vote for Edith Gongloe-Weh’ everywhere—it created tension on the ground.”
When asked whether her team had full coverage in all polling places, she acknowledged the challenges while emphasizing strong deployment: “Let me tell you, Julius, there’s no such thing as a perfect election. In every election, there are challenges and loopholes. But I can assure you that in this election, we had over 90 percent coverage with poll watchers. In fact, we had more poll watchers than I’ve ever had in any election. Still, there was a lot of manipulation, intimidation, and coercion. Local officials were coerced by national officials. If you were from Nimba, you were practically forced to campaign—or risk losing your job.”
She continued by describing the election as “unprecedented” in terms of the alleged abuse of power: “This was not a normal election. It was unprecedented. Maybe some of these things have happened before, but not on this scale. Yes, Senator Prince Johnson used to endorse candidates, but he never misused his power to this extent. He didn’t threaten people’s livelihoods if they didn’t follow orders. I’m not saying there were no violations before—there were—but this was different. This was the weaponization of political power.”
However, she did not state as to whether or not she’s considering challenging the results at the National Elections Commission (NEC). On Wednesday, 30 April 2025, NEC announced that the certification program for the winner from the Nimba County Senatorial By – election will take place today, Friday, 2 May 2025. As part of the program, the Nimba County Senator – elect, Samuel Kogar, will receive his Certificate of Election.
Following the election, Madam Weh visited several churches on Sunday to praise and worship God for his interventions during the tense political campaign. When held the microphone, she was heard saying “We stood up. We held our ground. We are proud that our constituents stood with us. At the core of our campaign was the courage and conviction of our people that money could not buy. For this and many more, we are visiting churches in Ganta this Sunday to simply thank God for His grace and the courage to dare.”
An Urge Against provocative and sexism
Jerome Saye, a media practitioner in Nomba has strongly condemned, warning opposition and citizens of Nimba County as well as Facebook users to desist from constant attack, provocative, and sexism online against Madam Edith Gongloe-Weh.
Jerome who took a few minutes during his breakfast show “Wake Up Nimba” on Monday and characterized the attitude as counterproductive and discriminatory, with negative comments floating on Facebook about Madam Weh’s defeat in the just-ended April 22, 2025 Nimba Senatorial By-election, terming it as “total harassment.”
Despite Madam Weh has not succeeded in winning an elected position in the county, he says she remains a highly respected female political figure, leader, mother, and daughter of Nimba, stating that she is a wealthy and resilient woman of the county.
He described photos, messages, and comments online (Facebook) as “disgusting.” “Would you say that to another male candidate? No, you wouldn’t. Stopped the wrong you doing against the lady. Remember she has children. And you are not even near some of her children’s education-wise” he stated.
Saye said any abuse, harassment, or criminality directed at Madam Weh is totally unacceptable, as such, it has the tendency to undermine the “One Nimba Project 2029,” for presidency. ‘I constantly read messages of sexism and provocation made about Madam Weh online,” he said.
PREVENTING AND COMBATING SEXISM
Sexism and discriminatory stereotypes remain widespread and affect women’s education and participation in the economy and public life.
At the core of sexism is the idea that certain individuals, often women and girls, are deemed less valuable because of their gender, leading to the dehumanization and marginalization of a significant part of the population, thereby endangering their human rights and dignity.
It is crucial to discuss the recognition of various forms of sexism as the first step in preventing gender discrimination. By doing so, people commit individually and collectively not to tolerate discriminatory attitudes, but rather to normalize equality in rights and inclusivity, rejecting behaviors that undermine human capital and development tailored to everyone, regardless of personal characteristics.
Key drivers of change in the process of combating sexism are cooperation, solidarity, and empathy, as they build alliances between institutions, media, NGOs, citizens, and advocates for gender equality.
It is also essential to unite and commit to personal and institutional action to ensure that all citizens have equal rights to fulfill their full potential, irrespective of gender. Empowering women and girls, as well as men, requires a deep connection with their personal experiences of discrimination and the challenges they face in their daily lives.
