Honorable Momodou Sabally has vowed to take his nomination rejection by the Independent Electoral Commission for April parliamentary elections to the court after an IEC returning officer in Brikama said he has been disqualified according to the laws of the land.
This is the first time an aspiring candidate’s nomination is rejected on the spot in the run-up to the 2022 parliamentary elections. The IEC rejected Sabally’s nomination citing section 90 (1) (e) of Gambia’s 1997 Constitution. It states that “A person found guilty of abuse of office, corruption, or any offense connected with public elections by a court or anyone found by a report of a commission of inquiry to be incompetent to hold public office because of having acquired assets unlawfully or defrauded the State would also be disqualified”
It could be recalled that the Janneh Commission indicted Mr. Sabally for aiding and abetting the theft of D14, 686,500 in relation to Carnegie Mineral accounts.
In his counter reaction, the former Presidential Affairs Minister and Secretary General told the returning officer: “but I have appealed against the adverse finding of the Commission and that process is on. So, what authority do you have to override a process that is higher than you constitutionally, the Appeal Court of the Republic of The Gambia?”
“I don’t think you have the right to do that. I think you are abusing your office and that’s completely unacceptable in a democratic transition. I think you are being used as a tool to oppress an innocent Gambian who has not been found (guilty) by any Court of Law. I am not ready yet; we will continue the process at the court of law,” he added.
Then later the officer told Sabally that he has 48 hours to appeal his decision to the commission through writing.
Meanwhile, Police in riot gear fired teargas to disperse the latter’s supporters of the United Democratic Party who stormed the gate of the nation’s electoral body’s Brikama office to pelt stones at the police for firing teargas at them
