The National Democratic Party (NDP) has strongly rejected IEC Communication Officer, Pa Makan Khan’s claims regarding the party’s registration process that was reported by the Standard last week. ”We believe this approach is unfortunate and risks misleading the public and distracting our supporters.”
According Standard’s report that quoted Mr. Khan, the Independent Electoral Commission has turned down the registration applications of NDP, UMC and several other parties over lack of meeting the requirements.
In a press statement, NDP stated that it has formally submitted its registration applications to the headquarters of the IEC on 22nd October 2025, in compliance with provisions governing the registration of political parties.
NDP said two months after the submission, the IEC invited them to a meeting, where its several unit heads were present including Chief Electoral Officer Mr. Sambujang Jagne, and the NDP delegation was led by Hon. Kebba Madi Bojang.
“Moreover, during the meeting, the Chief Electoral Officer informed us that the purpose of the engagement was to discuss certain issues the Commission had identified,” recalling the concerns pinpointed by the commission.
The party said it was also advised to remove the national colors surrounding its logo, while the party color was maintained. NDP said out of the 11,796 registered voters cards submitted by the party, 3,355 were rejected by the IEC due to inconsistencies such as signature and thumbprint mismatches, unbearable numbers, and incorrect constituecy or administrative names.
The party noted that it was promised at the conclusion of the meeting that the commission would communicate its final recommendations. ”It is therefore surprising that, instead of continued administrative engagement, the public was presented with what appears to be a dramatic narrative on social media and in the press, portraying the affected parties in a negative light,” the party said, questioning whether the ruling National People’s Party was also subjected to the same level of scrutiny and public commentary.
The National Democratic Party called on the IEC to engage all affected parties in a professional, and transparent manner, and in line with democratic best practices and the principles of natural justice.