The Supreme Court of The Gambia, has today dismissed the UDP election petition against Adama Barrow for not adhering to rule (11) of the Election Petition Rule (notice and security) and subsequently ordered a sum of D100, 000 as a cost to Adama Barrow.
The UDP wants The Supreme Court to determine that the election of President Adama Barrow was invalid because of corrupt practices and hold that President Barrow was not duly elected and his election was otherwise invalid.
Among the reason forwarded by UDP in their petition are as follows:
• UDP wants the court to determine that the votes cast in favour of President Adama Barrow in all regions as void because of his corrupt and illegal practices.
• They also want the highest court to determine that the election was invalid because of non-compliance with the electoral laws, widespread irregularities which affected the results in favour of President Adama Barrow.
• UDP said the election was invalid accusing officials of the IEC of malpractice. The party said the officials of the IEC did not permit their agents to be present at the time of sealing the ballot boxes in the morning before the commencement of the polls.
• The party also said some voters were denied the opportunity to cast their votes for not wearing face masks. The party argued that there was no previous announcement to that effect that a face mask was a requirement.
• UDP said the presence of some Alkalolu at some polling stations was condoned by officials of the IEC even though it did not conform to the standards of ethics.
• The party also said in Basse, Upper River Region, Police Commissioner Ensa Badjie came and ordered the IEC staff to re-open the polling station for those who came late.
• The UDP said voting continued in Sukuta and Farato until 12-midnight side by side with the counting of the results contrary to the IEC announcement.
• UDP said some voting stations were congested and the IEC did not provide enough voting booths in some stations, namely: Busumbala Mission School polling station, Old Yundum polling station and also in Sukuta; leading to some voters leaving without casting their votes.
• The party claimed that the election was invalid and void as they accused Adama Barrow and some of his NPP officials of financial inducements to the electorates countrywide during the campaign period contrary to section 116 of the Elections Act.
• They also said the election was invalid because of the involvement of public officers leading to the elections. In support of his argument, UDP said chiefs and governors were involved in the campaign for the NPP, adding that chiefs were in campaign committees of NPP at each region across the country.
• The party said their agents were given a fax copy of the results of the collation centre results without attaching thereto copies of the polling centre results.
• The party claimed that the IEC refused to supply them the information of polling station results at the time and maintained that the presiding officers failed to record the names and addresses of all polling agents on the polling station results form as required by section 71 subsection 2 of the Elections Act.
• UDP said the polling station results forms were not kept in a secured manner such as sealing them in envelopes when they were being transported to the collation centres.
• They said their agent at the collation centre in Kerewan was denied access to the results of the North Bank Region that were presented there, the party said their agent was not given the results after the collation exercise and the IEC officials began jubilation.
• UDP also said the election was invalid because of fraudulent and wrongful insertion of non-Gambians (residents in the Gambia) in the voter list countrywide. The party said they were not aware of this until the appearance of non-Gambians was reported during and after the election. The party promised to present to the court the names of the non-Gambians.
UDP wants the Supreme Court to order IEC to produce their database and other relevant materials.
Ends