The United Democratic Party (UD) has wholly condemned the alleged vote buying and offering of inducements by members of the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) ahead of the local government elections.

At a press conference held yesterday at its bureau at Pipe Line, leaders of the party unanimously held that these purported acts by the ruling party are not allegations but actualities.

Speaking at the presser, Tombong Saidy, the party’s administrative secretary for media and communications, said: “It seems this is a tactic NPP is using throughout the country. Two days ago, the governor of CRR and the chief of Saloum, Ali Jay Touray, and the Member of Parliament and Seedy Njie went to Njimbalang in Saloum, not far from Kaur, where we have our candidate Modou Jallow, to induce him to withdraw his candidature and he refused.

“There are several examples like this throughout the country. So, it seems the NPP’s only means of winning the election or having some candidates is to induce people and go to candidates offering them money for them to withdraw from the elections

“We have seen PPP candidates in URR who withdrew and some UDP candidates withdrew in Njau, and all those were induced. In fact, one of them was even accompanied by Seedy Njie [deputy speaker of the National Assembly] to the Jangjangbureh IEC office for the person to tender his letter of withdrawal.” 

He said these are things “UDP will not accept” and would take the necessary actions when the time comes to rectify these matters.

Yankuba Darboe, UDP candidate for West Coast Chairmanship, also spoke in the same vein, saying: “This voter buying thing or inducement people are alleging is not only an allegation. Evidence has now been provided to the police, as Modou Sarr [UDP Banjul central committee member] narrated in the Banjul case.”

He added: “We are having similar stories and narratives of people all across West Coast, and the unfortunate thing is the police are not doing anything about it, which is quite serious because they need to deter people from being engaged in it. This is fraud; it is voter fraud. It goes to undermine our electoral credibility completely.”

He also accused the Independent Electoral Commission, saying itwas not doing anything to put a halt to these acts.

“Unfortunately,” he indicts, “the IEC, who are supposed to take a lead in this are also not taking serious action, because we expect them to come up with a press release, a stern warning, advising all parties to desist from such actions.”