UDP National Organising Secretary Talib Ahmed Bensouda has frowned at the attack on the party’s voter registration monitoring team in Kanilai.
Youth of Kanilai allegedly attacked five UDP officials in Kanilai Saturday as they arrived in the village to monitor the voter registration exercise.
In a statement, top party official Talib Bensouda said: “Today I’m saddened to learn that some residents of Kanilai have not allowed any agent to sit at the voter registration center in their village. IEC is aware of this and has sat passively by.
“This morning our voter registration coordinating committee was assaulted and our party vehicle window was broken by some disgruntled villagers. This is unacceptable and I urge the police to take immediate action against all the perpetrators without delay.
“The UDP is a peaceful party and believes in the coexistence of all parties and we will remain as such. No party agents have been barred by UDP supporters to sit at any registration center across the country and no party monitoring teams have been harassed anywhere across the country by our supporters. The UDP will continue to abide by the law and preach peace and unity amongst all Gambians regardless of tribe, creed or political dispensation and I ask all our supporters to continue as such.
“I condemn this attack on our monitoring team in the strongest of terms and I reiterate that they have the right to visit every registration center across the country without harassment or provocation. Our party’s Deputy Organising Secretary Mr Ebrima Dibba (My Deputy) has been attacked and injured and our party vehicle has been damaged.
“I once again ask the IEC with immediate effect to close this Registration center at Kanilai until such a time it can operate within the rules of the IEC and the laws of The Gambia.
“As Organising Secretary I condemn any of our supporters from engaging in any form of activity and comments that violate our party principles of peace and unity and that go against the laws of our Country.
“After review of the video of the attack circulating on social media I would like to thank the members of the Voter Registration Coordinating Committee for exercising restraint and leaving the village of Kanilai peacefully.
“Following the events of Manduwarr and Now Kanilai I would like to take this opportunity to remind all Gambians that The Gambia is bigger than any tribe or political party and we must first respect each other as Gambians before anything else!”
