The call made by the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) Mustapha Carayol during a press briefing, when he called on chiefs, regional governors, village heads and the general publicto desist from registering foreigners or attesting underage persons must be heeded .
We have to know that in the first place registering non-Gambians is illegal, because the laws of the land do not allow it.
The only person qualified to register is somebody who has the required voting age of 18 years and above, and the person who is Gambian because he/she meets all the necessary requirements for full citizenship.
We are happy that the revising court will be sitting immediately to look into complaints and reports by individuals and political parties.
Meanwhile, Gambians must come out in their large numbers and register. People have to know that it is their civil right to register, and that this is the only means in which they can express their political rights in their country.
The IEC is complaining about the low turnout of people in the various registration centers located across the country.
People should take it upon themselves to register, especially as the deadline for the end of the current voter registration exercise is 17th June 2011, about a month away from today.
That is a long way off, and we hope that the IEC would be supported by the eligible sections of the Gambian population, for a successful voter registration campaign.