UDP Official Accuses IEC of Failing to Ensure Credibility In Elections

By Fatou Sillah

Lamin J.K. Sanneh, the United Democratic Party’s (UDP) Deputy Administrative Secretary for Social Affairs and Fundraising, has accused the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of failing to safeguard the credibility of the electoral process ahead of the 2026 presidential election.

Speaking in an interview with West Coast Radio, Sanneh questioned why the IEC had not published complete voter registration figures as political parties prepared for nominations. He said the commission had earlier indicated that the figures would be released after the revision court process, which he said ended last week.

“Why is it that the complete voter registration was not published by the time we were going for nominations?” he asked.

Sanneh also criticised the IEC’s decision to issue a letter allowing voters who had lost their cards to apply for replacements during the nomination period. In his view, that process should have been completed during the supplementary voter registration exercise.

He raised concerns about the commission’s independence, alleging that IEC officials had made frequent night-time visits to State House. He said the party had information about the visits but did not give details.

Sanneh also criticised the state of the country’s democratic institutions, saying independent bodies must be protected from executive interference if public confidence in elections is to be built. Restoring democratic governance, he said, will require stronger institutions and greater accountability, particularly in the bodies that oversee elections.