UDP representative urges IEC to extend voter registration

By Sainabou Sambou 

Yahya Darboe, a representative of the United Democratic Party at Brufut Nyafullen has urged the Independent Electoral Commission to extend the closing date of voter registration exercise to allow every legible citizen to register and get their voter’s cards.

He disclosed that the turnout of people is very good since the start of the exercise noting that IEC has registered over five hundred thousand people so far. He noted that at begin of the registration people came out in large numbers.

But now with the closing date getting closer “I doubt if the days given by IEC will be enough for the registration,” he said.

According to him, Brufut is a big village with inhabitant of 26 to 30 thousand peoples “so far they are issuing 300 to 500 hundred cards to people per day, so I don’t think they can catch up with the date given by IEC.”

He noted that Brufut is a big village with just only two registration centers which is not enough and to make the work easier, additional two centers should be added to make it four registration centers this will do because the people are coming from TAF, Sanchaba, Santasu, Sutuba Ghana Town, Tintito and so on “to only this two centers here in Nyafullen and Satabakono.”

Mr Darboe would like the Alkalo to minimize the giving of attestation form to people that come to get a voter’s card which out of ten people sometimes it is only three people that will come with an ID card or birth certificate.

He said when ask them for their ID card or birth certificate they will give no genuine reasons, while he said he has suspected that the Alkalo his giving attestation form to people who does not have the requirements to get a voter’s card.

“I am not happy about this and they should register people who have attain the age of 18 and above,” as he alleged and suspected that they are registering people who does not attain the required age saying “even if you look at their sizes you will know.”