UDP unravels alleged election fraud

By: Sainabou Sambou

The UDP said on Friday that Returning Officers of the centres for 89 polling stations, comprising of about 53,000 voters have not endorsed or certified the forms. “Random selection of violations identified by our legal team, the number of polling stations out of which 89 of these polling stations revealed that the

Returning Officers of the said polling centres comprising a total of about 53,000 voters out of 255,150 voters registered did not have the forms certified and or endorsed by the returning officers,” added the party in a statement read on Friday by its secretary general Ousainou Darboe at his office in pipeline.

Despite losing its petition at the court on technicality, UDP is still persistent on its efforts to show that ‘the election of Adama Barrow was invalid by reason of corrupt practices, Adama Barrow was not duly elected or returned, votes cast in favour of Adama Barrow in all regions are void by reason of corrupt and illegal practices.’ The party also said the election is otherwise invalid by reason of non-compliance which tilted the results in favor of Mr. Barrow.

It also presented as it’s basis of the nullification of the results the non-compliance with the constitution and all applicable laws. The UDP meanwhile reported instances of violations of the electoral laws, claiming voters were registered beyond the IEC’s stipulated dates and times that were gazetted. It also cried foul over what, it claimed, ‘duration of registration process below three minutes timing’.

The UDP also said it saw video in internet, containing Ebrima Sillah the Information Minister’s precise and accurate predictions of the election results and fraud.
“We are aware that through a video that was being circulated, the Minister of Information and Communications was seen and heard boasting on a video prior to the elections, predicting an estimated number of votes that the incumbent will lead all other oppositions in the December 4, 2021 elections.

“When the results were announced by the IEC, similar figures were actually announced, vindicating the predictions that the Minister shared during the said interview,” Darboe said as he read the party’s statement to journalists.

The UDP leader also reported that an electoral malpractice, leading to the discovery of 448 unexplained voters at  Njau’s polling station No. 608806 was also unearthed by the UDP investigative team.