Gambians go to the polls Thursday to elect their lawmakers. The polls are already said to have been corrupted by the illegal arrest and remand in custody of some targeted opposition candidates who pose a threat to the ruling party. Opposition leaders said the trend is purposely applied by the ruling party to intimidate, harass and threaten electorate so that they don't vote for the opposition.
Famara Bojang, a candidate of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP), was arrested and held incommunicado by the police as soon as he was nominated. After receiving mountains of pressures, the government issued a statement, saying Mr Bojang's arrest was not politically-motivated, as he was charged with "criminal offences".
But another UDP candidate, Saibeh Sanyang was arrested alongside some of his supporters by police who subsequently arraigned them before the court yesterday, accusing them of being involved in unlawful assembly, a crime under the Public Order Act. Though the offence is a misdemeanour and bailable one, the men were refused bail by what the opposition called "remote-controlled magistrate" who sent them to remand.
The leader of the UDP, lawyer Ousainou Darboe, doubted the competence of the magistrate. He asked why any credible judicial system would allow a contesting candidate for election to be remanded for such a minor offence less than 48 hours before the polls.
"We believe very strongly that the magistrate was influenced because people have committed more serious offences were granted bail by him," Mr Darboe said. "It is a shame that the image of our country is being tarnished. It is a shame that such a thing would happen through an institution that the ordinary people look into as their last hope."
Branding the magistrate as a layman who had not attended a law school, Mr Darboe claimed the said magistrate was a senior immigration officer who was elevated to the rank.
The opposition leader blamed the government for abusing the criminal justice system to satisfy its political interest, which undermined the credibility of the election. "It also makes the work of the electoral commission very difficult. It is common knowledge that the government has done everything possible to stifle the opposition."
Independent candidates have also been arrested and detained during the campaign period. Others have been purportedly bought to withdraw from the race, a move that is against democratic rules also in The Gambia.
The government of President Yahya Jammeh, who came to power in a coup in 1994, has repeatedly been accused of winning Gambian elections through rigging or intimidation of the opposition. On the other hand, the opposition has been unable to unite in a credible bid to oust the unpopular government.