By Seedy Jobe
Ebrima Nyang, Administrative Secretary 1 of the Gambia Democratic Congress, has questioned the credibility of the Independent Electoral Commission, warning that problems surrounding the voter register could disrupt the December 2026 presidential election.
Speaking on Kerr Fatou’s Grand Bantaba program, Mr. Nyang argued that electoral commissions and courts have frequently contributed to democratic instability in parts of Africa when they fail to maintain public confidence.
He said recent developments at the IEC had reinforced the GDC’s decision to reject the results of the 2021 presidential election, which President Adama Barrow won. Mr. Nyang described the current controversy as an affront to The Gambia’s democracy.
The GDC official alleged that the commission’s handling of the electoral process could create confusion on Election Day. Voters, he said, might have difficulty identifying their polling stations or finding their names on the register.
Mr. Nyang provided no evidence that the commission was deliberately seeking to cause such confusion, but he argued that any disorder would ultimately benefit the governing party.
“When it is mixed up, it will be in the interest of the individual—that is, the ruling party,” he said.
Mr. Nyang went further, appearing to dismiss in advance the possibility that an election won by President Barrow could be considered credible.
“This election cannot be fair unless Barrow loses,” he said. “If President Barrow wins, I tell you, this election is not fair.”
The remarks amount to one of the GDC’s strongest public challenges to the IEC ahead of the vote. They also suggest that the party’s confidence in the electoral process may depend heavily on the outcome, even before ballots are cast.
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