Citizens’ Alliance leader
By Landing Ceesay
The leader of the Citizens’ Alliance (CA) Dr Ismaila Ceesay has won his court case against the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) at the High Court of the Gambia.
The High Court of the Gambia has declared that the rejection of the nomination of Citizens’ Alliance leader Dr Ismalia Ceesay by the IEC was not by the applicable Electoral Laws of The Gambia, the court has also ordered IEC to Pay Dr Ceesay and CA D200, 000.
Shortly after his victory over the electoral commission, Dr Ceesay told the journalists that his victory over the IEC is about preventing someone from becoming a victim in the future.
“The court said what the IEC did is not right and that they haven’t taken the right application. The court said things have to be done in the right way. This victory is not about this election. It is about the next elections and it is about preventing someone else from being a victim in the future,” Dr Ceesay said.
The IEC at a press conference on the nomination of the candidates said Dr Ismaila Ceesay, the presidential aspirant for CA has not complied with section 42 subsection 2 (a) of the electoral act, that less than two hundred registered voters in Banjul Administrative Area supported his nomination; as opposed to the legal requirement that a candidate for election to the office of President shall be nominated in the prescribed form 1 part A of the Fourth Schedule by not less than five thousand voters whose names appear in the register of voters, with at least two hundred voters from each Administrative Area.
The Citizens’ Alliance filed a case at the High Court in Banjul against the Commission’s decision and the court rule in favour of the party leader on Tuesday 23rd November.