Culled from the Point Newspaper.

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In a press release issued yesterday evening, the United Democratic Party
leader, Ousainou Darboe, reveals that they had uncovered a plot allegedly
hatched by the APRC regime against their party.

The release further explained that the plot is a fabrication of an attempted
coup d’etat as a conduit for the declaration of a state of emergency and the
arrest of opposition politicians. The leader of the coalition, who called up
a press conference in Bansang on the issue, claims that the move is
triggered by the realisation by the APRC that it had lost grounds following
its presidential candidate’s unsuccessful campaign. The coalition says that
it would not have it so good and try to disrupt the election. Below we
reproduce the full text of the release.

Rumours have been rife in the last twenty four hours that the APRC regime,
having realised that it has totally lost ground following its presidential
candidates unsuccessful campaign, has come up with the crazy idea of
fabricating an attempted coup d’etat and this way declare a state of
emergency and arrest opposition politicians. The UDP/ PPP/ GPP coalition
wishes to declare to the whole world that these rumours, if they are not
unfounded, show the state of desperation that the APRC has reached in its
existence as a party and as a government.Now that the Gambia people have
shown clearly its rejection of Yaya Jammeh, his regime and his politics, the
APRC is now trying desperately, like a drowning man, to clutch straws.

These rumours are the latest in a series of vain attempts to silence the
opposition particularly the UDP/ PPP/ GPP coalition. A few days ago the
coalition flag bearer’s campaign convoy was not allowed to use the ferry at
Basse, the pretext being that it had a breakdown. This was a lame excuse to
deny Ousainou Darboe and his campaign entourage access to the northern party
of the Upper River Division.

Such acts just demonstrate how desperate the APRC has become in light of
their lack lustre campaign and the low turn out at their rallies. Another
rumour that shows the vain attempt to boast their waning fortunes in the
mass registration of persons from Cassamance now that registration has been
closed and the final register has been compiled.

The Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission Mr. Gabriel Roberts had
informed a UDP delegation that the IEC has decided that any person in
possession of a “valid” voters card will be allowed to vote. This statement
is not helpful in dispelling these rumours. To the contrary it will further
heighten the concern that the Coalition has for the forthcoming election to
be free and fair. After a highly successful countrywide campaign, we are
sure that the Gambian electorate is going to massively vote against the
APRC.

We therefore do not need to be involved in any act that has the slightest
anti democratic tendency. The nature of our party leadership and our past
record on non violence indicate that we will never be involved in any
attempt to take over the country by any means other than the ballot box. We
have espoused democracy and we have operated by its principles.

We therefore reject all attempts rumoured or real to tarnish the image of
the Coalition aimed at finding a pretext to disrupt the present election
process which, with the exception of some APRC initiated scuffles, has been
going on in an orderly manner.

This process should be allowed to continue to enable Gambian people to
choose their President without intimidation and undue influence There is
barely one week to go before the polls and no sane person, particularly one
who is confident of winning, would want to disrupt the elections for any
reason. The UDP/PPP/GPP Coalition calls on all Gambians to resist all
attempts to hijack their right to choose their own President. The UDP
Executive Committee


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