By: Isatou Sarr
The Brikama Revising Court has dismissed an objection seeking the removal of Amie Preira’s name from the voters’ register, ruling that the objector failed to provide sufficient evidence to establish that Amie is not a Gambian citizen or was not resident in the constituency where she registered.
The judgment was delivered on September 22, 2026, by His Worship D. Phatey, Esq., at the Brikama Magistrates’ Court.
The objection was filed by Nyimanding Fofana, who sought the removal of Preira’s name from the voters’ register under voter number 128260518130615.
In a Notice of Objection dated July 20, 2026, Fofana challenged Preira’s registration on the grounds that she was not a Gambian citizen and was neither born nor resident in the constituency.
Fofana, who was herself a registered voter, told the court that she did not believe Preira was Gambian and that she did not know her in Bonto. She further testified that when Preira went to the registration centre, she did not present a Gambian national document.
According to Fofana, Preira instead obtained an attestation from the Alkalo, Lamin Kebbeh, which she used to register and obtain a voter’s card.
Fofana said her suspicion over Preira’s nationality prompted her to record her name and subsequently file the objection.
During cross-examination, however, Fofana acknowledged that late birth registration existed and that some people, particularly elders, might not have been registered at birth.
She also admitted that she did not know where Preira came from and that she did not know everyone living in Bonto. Fofana further confirmed that she was not born in Bonto. She told the court that the attestation presented by Preira had been issued by the Alkalo and acknowledged that an Alkalo could issue an attestation to elders who were not registered at birth. Fofana also admitted that she had no proof to establish that Preira was not a Gambian citizen.
Testifying in her defence, Preira, a farmer and resident of Bonto, said she was born and raised in the village. She denied knowing the objector and maintained that she was a Gambian citizen. Preira told the court that she was a registered voter and produced her voter’s card as an exhibit. She also said she previously had a birth certificate but had lost it and had not been able to obtain another one.
In his judgment, Magistrate Phatey said the objection was essentially based on suspicion. The court noted that apart from Fofana’s oral testimony, no further evidence was presented to substantiate the claim that Preira was not Gambian or was not resident in Bonto. The magistrate further observed that Preira had testified that she was born and raised in Bonto and had maintained that she was a Gambian citizen.
The court also considered the attestation issued by the Alkalo, noting that the objector had not challenged the Alkalo’s authority to issue it or identified any irregularity in the document. The magistrate held that there was no compelling evidence before the court to establish that the attestation was invalid or should not have been accepted by the Independent Electoral Commission for voter registration.
The court therefore held that the attestation was valid and had been properly accepted by the Commission in registering Preira and entering her name on the voters’ register. “In light of the foregoing,” the court held that the objector had failed to prove the grounds of her objection or establish that Preira’s name should be removed from the voters’ register.
The objection was consequently dismissed. The court also reminded the parties of their right to appeal.
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