By Seedy Jobe
The chairman of Brikama West Coast Region, Yankuba Darboe, has leveled serious allegations against the police, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), and the ruling National People’s Party (NPP), accusing them of facilitating what he described as “brazen electoral fraud” during the ongoing voter registration process in Tanji. He warned that his party would resist any attempts to manipulate the outcome of the December 5, 2026, presidential election.
Chairman Darboe made the remarks on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, following a visit to the registration centre in Tanji.
“This is a very important problem. This determines how free and fair the elections are going to be on the 5th of December, 2026. Because what we know and what is happening in Tanji is a broad daylight fraud that is going on, he said.
He claimed that opposition monitors had identified an individual allegedly involved in irregular registration and handed her over to the police, but said no action was taken.
“We caught a woman engaged in this activity and took her to the police. Unfortunately, the police treated our complaint as a joke. Since they are not willing to do their job properly, they have left us with no choice but to resist,” he stated.
Chairman Darboe also alleged that the NPP Deputy Spokesperson, Seedy Njie, visited a local Alkalo and issued instructions. “We have audio here. Seedy Njie came here to threaten the Alkalo, to tell the Alkalo to do what Seedy Njie orders the Alkalo to do,” he alleged.
He further claimed that an elderly woman without Gambian identification documents was instructed to register.
“They also brought a woman who is almost 50 years above. We have the audio, we have her picture. She doesn’t have any Gambian documents. But she confessed when she was interviewed in that audio that she was told to come and register here,” he said.
Darboe announced that his party’s monitors would now be positioned inside registration centers to scrutinize all documentation presented.
“We are going to stand, not outside, but inside, to make sure whatever is happening, we are all seeing it. Anybody who comes with a birth certificate that we don’t accept, we will stop it here. That person will not register because it’s a false document. It’s illegal. It’s a crime,” he warned.
He further accused key state institutions of collusion. “We have been through the whole process thinking that the police, but now we know the police, IEC, they are all in cahoots. They all want to rob Gambian people of the free and fair election that we are supposed to have on the 5th of December.”
Darboe also rejected any expectation of a peaceful transfer of power without struggle, warning of political tension ahead of the elections.
“Anybody who fools anybody that Barrow is going to hand this power to us on a silver plate, they are fooling themselves. It’s not happening. What we are seeing on the ground is that they want to use force. They want to arrest the people who are vigilant and opposing them 24/7,” he said.
He referenced the late Solo Sandeng, suggesting that political sacrifice may again be required.
“Because if we think what Solo Sandeng did in 2016, if we don’t do that now, 2026 December, we are not going to have any change. We must be ready to sacrifice for the future of our children,” he said.
Chairman Darboe also issued a warning to Senegalese nationals regarding their involvement in the electoral process.
“This is the warning to Senegalese. We are ready to die for our elections. You were ready to die for your elections. We are ready to die for ours. Stay out of our elections. We will not tolerate it,” he said.
He described Tanji as a hotspot for alleged irregularities in the registration exercise, insisting that his team would continue to challenge any process they consider unlawful.
“This is where they want to register everybody, and we will stop it. And those who say revising court, let them come and lock everybody up because this country is worth it for us. The whole system is marred by fraud. Birth certificates are left, right and centre, how come those birth certificates that the state is in control of is in the hands of everybody?,” he concluded.
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