By Kebba Ansu
Officials and members of Gambia For 5Years and Peace Building Association has called on the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to immediately intervene and cease the issuance of attestation letters to potential electorates by Rohey Malick Lowe, Mayor of Banjul.
The group disclosed their position to the press on Tuesday 8th June, 2021, at Lamin Village, where they threaten that if IEC failed to cease the issuance of attestation by Mayor Lowe, a protest will be organised to stopping the practice.
Gambia For 5 Years is a rival party to Three Years Jotna Movement that has organised a mass protest on 12th December, 2019, thus demanding President Adama Barrow to stay put and complete his constitutional mandate of five (5) years.
“The Gambia For 5Years is hereby condemning the IEC and Rohey Malick Lowe in the issuance of attestation letters to the people of Banjul. The act is unconstitutional because there is no provision that allows the Mayor to issue attestations to potential voters,” said Ebrima Sorrie Bah, Secretary General.
According to him, the discretion for the Mayor to issue attestation has gathered a lot of negative reaction from politicians and the people of Banjul, adding that even though there is massive demand for the responsibility to be taken away from the Mayor, (though), IEC still allowing her to continue the issuance of attestations.
Secretary General Ebrima Sorrie Bah, reiterated that IEC should immediately cease the issuance of attestation giving by the Mayor of Banjul, adding that if IEC failed to intervene on the issue Gambia For 5Years will organised a mass protest at the gates of the electoral commission.
“We are calling on the IEC to immediately stop the Mayor of Banjul from giving out the attestation letters as she is a representative of a political party. We are also calling on the commission to nullify all the forms issued by the Mayor,” Gambia For 5Years Supremo urged.
He argued that leaving the responsibility of issuing attestation to the Mayor will endanger the registration process in Banjul, alleging that the Mayor of Banjul is denying supporters of other political parties from acquiring attestation while endorsing forms to UDP supporters.
Ebrima Sorrie Bah, also alleged that IEC is complicit in the political wrangling ongoing in Banjul and other voter registration centers in the country, saying the commission is not culpable it would have addressed the concerns of Banjulians and other Gambians.
He stated that it is very erroneous for the commission to establish a single registration center in shanty towns like Brufut, Garawol and Basse, because with the slow pace of registration many Gambians will be disenfranchised in the process.
More so, “we are calling on the IEC to train more staff and buy more materials in order to speedily carryout their mandate. Currently the registration process is going very slow and Gambia For 5Years is afraid that if IEC failed to redouble their efforts many Gambians will be disenfranchised,” said Secretary General, Ebrima Sorrie Bah.
Fatou Bah, a member of the movement and residence of Brufut said many Gambians have been threaten and accused of been foreigners in Brufut and other places in Sanementereng ward, adding that the commission is colluding with opposition political parties to targeting Fulas and Jolas from acquiring their voter’s cards.
She said it is very unfortunate that people whose attestations have been endorsed by village Alkalos are rejected from getting voters cards, noting that Gambia For 5Years will not seat idling seeing legible applicants to be denied voters cards due to political interference.