[allAfrica.com] [celtel.com] Lack of 'Smoking Gun' Could Spell Embarrassment for Team Weah FrontPageAfrica (Monrovia) ANALYSIS November 16, 2005 Posted to the web November 17, 2005 By Rodney D. Sieh The world waited with baited breadth Wednesday for George Weah's 'smoking gun'- the ultimate proof that would have shown the world how he and his Congress for Democratic Change were denied the Liberian presidency. Their failure to provide one, may have dampened any hopes of validity amid allegations of fraud. Unless Weah's CDC comes up with something very concrete in the next couple of days, his presidential quest would finally come to an end - officially. "We are now between a rock and hard place. He must put up or shut up," a CDC official lamented. The CDC had its first day before the NEC. Many people were baffle when the event ending so abruptly. Undoubtedly, if the CDC's first day is any indication of the case at hand, then it would be safe to assume that there may not be anything to these claims after all, except, perhaps ballot stuffing charges that cannot be proven and wails of foul play. Even die-hard Weah supporters were baffled at the fact that the football legend's team appeared at the first day of investigation without the most important part of their case - their burden of proof. "It is like going hunting without a gun. I could not believe what I was hearing from Monrovia. What in the world was Weah and his team thinking going into a major fraud investigation without any thing to show fundamental fraud," a U.S. based CDC official asserted. Another CDC insider told FrontPageAfrica late Wednesday, he was doubtful that the party had anything more than the 39 ballots Weah had in his possession when he announced at a news conference last week that he had been robbed of victory. "I don't think they have anything but the few ballots that have already been shown and probably a few poll workers willing to testify," said the source who preferred anonymity. "I'm not sure they were able to get the polling sheets that allegedly showed discrepancies before Friday." 'Elementary' lawyer error Othello Baymah, the lawyer reportedly representing Weah in the proceedings may shoulder any blame should the CDC fail to produce any concrete evidence of proof. "As a lawyer, it is so elementary one does not have to tell you to come with your witnesses," says Joseph Blidi, the NEC's presiding officer. The hearing has been suspended until Friday. The silence of Varney Sherman and Winston Tubman over this whole affair has spur a debate over the validity of the charges. Some CDC insiders are concerned that the legal pair is not as vocal as they should. But in Sherman and Tubman's defense, others say they may be cool on the issue because there's just not enough evidence to warrant a case that would force a rerun of the run-off elections, especially the growing commendations of the international community about the fairness and transparency of the elections. CDC's embarrassing display Wednesday prompted ECOWAS chief facilitator on Liberia, the former Nigerian Head of State, and Retired Gen. Abdul Salami Abubakar to hope that there can be an amicable resolution to the dispute over the outcome of run-off election. Abubukar called on Weah to accept the outcome of the inquiry into his claims that a rigged run-off election robbed him of the presidency after his team showed up without any proof to substantiate their case. In a statement issued to FrontPageAfrica on Sunday, the CDC claimed it had a number of evidence to validate its case of fraud and irregularities at the polls. "We have uncovered a widespread international conspiracy to make Mrs. Sirleaf the president of Liberia even though she didn't win the elections," said a CDC statement sent to FrontPageAfrica on Sunday. But with Weah's Vice Presidential candidate J. Rudolph Johnson, leading the way Wednesday to represent CDC at the NEC hearings, did not present a single proof to back up those allegations. The election has already been dubbed free and fair by renowned international observers and institutions. But Weah and his team insisted otherwise. "We have NEC poll workers who have gone on record and are willing to testify that they were approached by NEC, UP and International organizations to engage in vote rigging," read CDC the statement on Sunday. The CDC had earlier claimed that some NEC poll workers were given particular instructions to put ballots in the boxes in areas where CDC did not have representatives or when representatives took a break. "We have also discovered that most of those ballots were used in remote locations where it would be difficult for parties to be represented." The CDC suggests that the NEC may have erred when they used the ballots in places were less people registered to vote. A party investigation, according to sources within the party showed that tallied results for polling stations with less than 200 registered voters showed more than 500 voters. "It was in these locations that most of the pre-marked ballots were used," said the source. But the results are preliminary and the commission will not give a final verdict on a winner until it has finished investigating Weah's complaint. , Liberian law mandates that a winner should be announced November 23. CDC has now come under severe pressure to provide proof or risk being sideline, mock and marginalize in Liberian political affairs. This is the worst scenario some diehard CDC officials are afraid of happening to their party. But the fact of the matter is that CDC has levied serious charges against Johnson-Sirleaf UP, NEC, ECOWAS and the international community rate large, implicating them in massive conspiracy to denied Weah the presidency. Weah has to prove now or face a crisis of confidence and credulity. An organization in America supporting Johnson-Sirleaf has already accused Weah in a publication on The Analyst of faking evidence. Fear factor--War or Peace? Quite a number of Liberians saw these gone elections as a one time opportunity to set things right in their country. But since the run off election between former Finance Minister Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and soccer legend George Manneh Weah, Liberians and the international community are deeply troubled about the possibility of violence in the event that the inquiry doesn't favor Weah. There have already been two mass demonstrations in support of Weah, on Monday and Friday. And Weah and his team have not rule out further demonstrations. But the government is not operating on Weah's timetable. It is moving fast to arrest a potential dicey situation. Chairman Bryant fearing a potential violent outcome has gone on the radio to ban all public demonstrations not approved by the Ministry of Justice. The United Nations Security Council, ECOWAS, AU, US and all interested in a peace Liberia have called for calm and an amicable out to the morass in the country. Many see the legal process as the proper channel to remedy the situation. And that is why Liberians are willing to see the process to its logical completion, albeit some people have already taking the liberty to call on Weah to concede to Johnson-Sirleaf, who led Weah by nearly 19 percentage points in the count. But by and large, Liberians want Weah and his CDC to have their day in court, after all this is what was done in the bitter aftermath of the U.S. 2000 elections between former VP Al Gore and President George Bush. The critical question is that can Weah sustain such opposition and what many terms as bickering over a long period of time? What fronpgareafrica has learned does not bore well for Manneh Weah. Rift In Weah's Campaign Support for Weah is already waning as some of his closest aides are alleged to have secret meetings with the Johnson-Sirleaf camp in effort to secure jobs for themselves. Frontpageafrica learned Weah is mad over such move. Campaign Manager Jake Kabakollie and CDC Secretary Eugene Nagbe were amongst those alleged to be plotting against Weah to secure a job in Johnson-Sirleaf camp. Other supporters have publicly called for him to concede to Johnson-Sirleaf in the interest of peace. Prince Johnson, who supported CDC George Weah's presidential bid, has appealed to his candidate to concede for the sake of peace in Liberia. He added, "I don't know why people continue to attack me for supporting Weah. He is a Liberian like any other person. I did not commit crime, but I just want him to forget about this thing and let move on. Johnson, who addressed the U.S., based African youth organization in a teleconference Tuesday also called on the youths that are demonstrating for the former soccer star in protest of the election results to calm down and allow peace to prevail. "Look, my children, I am for peace and stability. No need to fight again. All we must do now is to find a way to help everybody and I am prepared for that." Sekou Conneh, who endorsed Weah after the first round has also urged Weah to concede defeat. "There were irregularities in the process, but for the sake of peace and that of the country, I think he should accept the result so that we can move ahead," Conneh told Reuters today. All 18 members of Weah's Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) party have threatened not to take up parliamentary seats won in elections last month in protest at the alleged fraud. However, if Weah and his team cannot come up with anything substantial to back up those claims, it may negate any impact of such a threat and Weah may come out of this ordeal with a double doze of defeat. One, in a landslide fashion against Johnson Sirleaf and the other over charges of fraud that he and his team could not prove. Weah's future after this potential blow may be a hard one to predict. Not even his key executive campaign and party members can articulate a long-term strategy for the post elections fight, much less a clear and designable objective. Liberians are watching. And that is all they can do at this point. The ball is Weah's court. On Friday, Liberians will see whether Weah and his team can prove a case of massive fraud that can erase a 19 points margin.   =============================================================================   Copyright © 2005 FrontPageAfrica. All rights reserved. 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