By: Nyima Sillah
Hagi Suwaneh, National Youth President United Democratic Party has challenged the victory of the ruling National Peoples’ Party (NPP) in the Saturday local government elections.
In his reaction to the UDP’s defeat of the NPP, he said the party of President Adama Barrow did not win any of their seats genuinely and that the NPP don’t deserve any recognition or acknowledgment, adding that they have stolen votes by bribing IEC, and several times caught buying votes or exchanging foods for votes and doing anything possible to steal the elections
“Throughout the country Gambia voters rejected them but they resulted in bringing non-Gambians to vote for them. In all the cases they are caught red-handed. But watch the space we will put a stop to this cheating business,” he argued.
He denied what critics were saying in the past years, that President Barrow sponsored their candidates with D50,000 for each candidate and his incumbency influenced many to vote for them.
“We proved people wrong in this election, and he (Adama Barrow) pumped more than D350,000 into each NPP candidate’s campaign, voter buying, inducements plus his incumbency using state resources such as ministers and governors, chiefs, and Alkalos, yet still we hit them down.”
Meanwhile, he said to avoid incompetent leaders, inefficiency, and misrepresentation, Gambians have to reject inducements, bribery, and fake promises or pledges.
“Our outstanding problems as the opposition that we continue to face in the rural provincial regions are mainly voter inducements, tribalism, the involvement of Alkalolu, chiefs, and Governors all against the oppositions is what we need to address.
“This rampant vote buying is not only before the election but even on election day this is a concern and we the Gambians are the ones who should free our souls from this cankerworm that is about to consume us,” he said.