Nearly one year after his return to office in a disputed election, President Adama Barrow’s ability to pull a “comprehensive victory” in the last general election continues to be doubted and now, the UDP spokesperson is talking about the need and urgency for verification of the voter register.
“We need to verify the situation…verify how many Gambians are on our voter list. We think the court was going to help in that regard but the court matter didn’t go,” UDP spokesman Almamy Taal told JollofNews when asked whether the UDP harbours any fear non-Gambians may vote in the fast-approaching local government elections.
The NPP, meantime, stunned its opponents in the last December’s election after spectacularly performing better than expected.
It did not only outperform its opponents in its political bases but it looked like it also took the fight to their opponents’ strongholds and won.
But many Gambians do not believe this.
The former minister of information now minister of transport Ebrima Sillah crystal-ball-gazed the election with such an accuracy and precision that many thought the results were staged.
Claims of registration malpractices have also allegedly led to the bloating of the voter list with those who have no business with Gambia’s elections reportedly voting.
Meanwhile, in several parts of the Kanifing Municipality, West Coast Region and other climes of the country, strange silence engulfed the atmosphere immediately it was clear Barrow was going to scoop the results.
A drop of a needle could be heard!
Looked like a nation in mourning but later on the day, children and young Gambians invaded the Banjul Highway in an explosion of joy and celebrations.
However, the celebrations were shortlived.
Hours after Mr. Barrow was declared winner, the regional capital of Brikama descended into chaos with angry mobs taking over the streets.
The disturbances spilled over to other towns along the Brikama Highway while there was another spontaneous combustion in the Kanifing Municipality as angry youths took to the street.
President Barrow was also profoundly embarrassed when Gambians refused to grace, with their presence, his induction into office.
The national stadium was only quarter-full.
And, as if to reinforce the suspicion of electoral malpractices in the general election, NPP officials went home scratching their heads after the National Assembly it hoped to dominate was split between it and the opposition in shocking legislative elections.
Now that the courts could not arbitrate the electoral dispute, UDP’s Almamy Taal is hoping that investigative journalists may take it upon themselves to burrow in the voter register.
