By Seedy Jobe
UNITE party has raised concerns about The Gambia’s voter registration process and said it plans to challenge disputed entries before the revising court, warning that inconsistencies in electoral data could erode public confidence.
In an interview with Kerr Fatou on Thursday, the party’s spokesperson, Kemo Bojang, said UNITE could not participate directly in monitoring the registration exercise because it had not yet received the necessary accreditation. Instead, it collaborated with the All People’s Party-Sobeya, or APP-Sobeya, and deployed monitors nationwide under that party’s accreditation.
Mr. Bojang said UNITE was tabulating information collected by its monitors and had identified several cases it intended to challenge. Those included suspected registrations of minors and people whom the party believes did not possess the documents required to register.
He stressed that UNITE did not oppose the registration of naturalized citizens who had obtained their documentation through the proper legal process.
Although the Independent Electoral Commission serves as the “gatekeeper of electoral integrity,” Mr. Bojang said, safeguarding the process was also the responsibility of political parties, civil society organizations, and the broader public.
“Electoral integrity is everybody’s responsibility,” he said.
Mr. Bojang called on the commission to provide greater clarity about voter registration figures, saying any discrepancy between publicly announced totals and the data supplied to political parties could deepen mistrust.
“It is very worrisome if the numbers that are announced and the ones that are given to parties are different,” he said. “That reduces people’s confidence.”
He noted that other opposition parties had raised similar concerns and said suspicion surrounding the registration process was already widespread. But he cautioned that electoral objections should be pursued responsibly to avoid undermining confidence in the entire process.
“When that happens, it makes things difficult,” he said. “Even if it is a win, it taints the victory.”
Mr. Bojang confirmed that UNITE would present its objections to the revising court. He said the party planned to make its findings public before beginning the legal challenge.
The party would seek lawful verification that the data provided to political parties matched the commission’s official figures, he added.
Mr. Bojang welcomed the extension of the period for filing objections, saying the additional time would allow UNITE to prepare its cases.
“I can assure the people that we will go to the revising court,” he said, “and when we go there, we will do what we need to do.”
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