By Tabora Bojang
The ongoing supplementary voter registration has been hit by allegations and counter allegations of fraud including suspected attempts to register minors and non-citizens, and presentation of fake birth certificates.
In various areas across the country, political groups accused each other of engaging in illegal mobilsation of illegible persons or forging documents to support such acts.
Nyangen
The first controversy occurred in Nyangen village where the governor of CRR seized the village stamp from the alkalo allegedly because he entrusted it to his son who is believed to be a member of the opposition Unite Movement. The movement’s spokesperson Kemo Bojang called the governor’s action illegal and a politically motivated abuse of power designed to defraud the elections in favour of the ruling party. The governor denied this and the government said the alkalo is no longer permanently residing in the village and by law he has no right to appoint anyone to act in his position.
Tanji
On Friday, officials of the main opposition United Democratic Party UDP alleged they have evidence that a woman believed to be member of the ruling NPP was found issuing birth certificates to non-Gambians.
“We have handed over all this suspects to the police and now all eyes are on the IGP for him to act because forging a national document is a big offence,” Sheriffo Sonko, a prominent UDP militant alleged. However the NPP in a statement signed by deputy spokesman Seedy Njie, dismissed those claims as false propaganda to mislead the public and undermine trust in the exercise. Both Njie and the UDP’s Yankuba Darboe, the chairman of the Brkima Area Council were at the Brusubi Police station where the Tanji incident was reported.
Abuko
Similar incidents were reported in Abuko, where the UDP alleged its agent was assaulted by NPP supporters after he confronted them about minors allegedly brought there by a senior NPP official. The UDP said the IEC officials rejected the applications of the minors which angered the NPP officials and led them to attack its agent. The NPP denied this and the matter was reported to Abuko Police Station.
Fajikunda
In Faji Kunda, a UDP senior local official Bakary Danso accused local NAM Yahya Menteng Sanyang of Unite Movement of attempting to mobilise minors to the registration centre with alleged forged birth certificates. The alleged minors were rejected by the IEC.
A defiant Sanyang later posted on social media that he would continue to mobilise eligible Gambians to get registered and anyone objecting to their registration should go to the revising court. He denied issuing birth certificates.
IEC
The Standard contacted up the spokesman of the Independent Electoral Commission Pa Makan Khan who said generally the supplementary registration is going very well.
On the allegations being traded by different parties, Mr Khan said the IEC’s mandate is to register claimants according to the electoral law passed by the National Assembly and it is discharging that mandate efficiently and fairly.
”We are the custodian of all attestation forms and we have the right, and have indeed exercised the right to deny any claimant we deem to be a minor. The criteria for registration is clear in the law and that is what is guiding our work,” he said.
