By Olimatou Coker
The National Council for Civic Education (NCCE) has issued a direct appeal to Gambians to follow due process for election grievances, and get registered before the May 21st deadline.
The NCCE is pushing a hard, nationwide sensitisation drive, covering over 20 major communities in Upper River and Central River Regions. The goal is to drive turnout for the supplementary voter registration and kill confusion before the December 5th, 2026 presidential election.
The campaign, branded “My vote, my future: Step up and get registered,” targets first-time voters, women, and persons with disabilities.
NCCE officials are cutting through misinformation by advising communities that voter cards issued in 2021 are still valid while cards from 2016 are dead.
According to the NCCE officials, if you hold a 2016 card you must register again or be shut out.
“We are not negotiating this,” one civic educator said. “To register, bring one of four documents: Birth Certificate, Gambian Passport, National ID Card, or an Attestation from a Seyfo or Alkalo. That is the law. That is the list.”
The NCCE is also discusing issues of citizenship under the 1997 Constitution including birth, descent, registration, and naturalisation.
The Council is backing community “Bantaba” meetings with an aggressive media campaign. It is also running TV, radio, and social media talk shows daily to force clarity on registration and transfers between constituencies.
In URR, a resident admitted the impact: “Many people were confused before. The explanations ended that.” Callers across regions echoed it: NCCE is cutting through the noise.
Some remote residents complained about travel to registration centers. NCCE officials acknowledged the problem but did not budget.
Beyond talking, NCCE teams are on the ground monitoring registration centres to enforce transparency.
