The Brusubi Revising Court has dismissed an objection challenging Yankuba Ceesay's eligibility to remain on The Gambia's voters' register, ruling that the objector failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove that Ceesay was not a Gambian citizen.

Magistrate Mam Samba Jallow dismissed the objection brought by Abdul Karim Drammeh under the Elections Act, 2025, after finding that the evidence presented did not establish that Ceesay was a foreign national or otherwise ineligible to remain on the register.

Drammeh, who testified as PW1, told the court that he is a registered voter residing in Bakau and had participated as a polling agent during the 2026 supplementary voter registration exercise.

He said he objected to Ceesay's registration because he believed that Ceesay was not a Gambian citizen and therefore should not be allowed to vote. According to Drammeh, he was later advised to bring the matter before the Revising Court.

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The Alkalo of Brufut also testified during the proceedings. He told the court that he did not personally know Ceesay. The Alkalo said he believed that his representative in Ghana Town knew Ceesay and that his attestation was based on information provided to him.

In her ruling, Magistrate Jallow identified the central question as whether Drammeh had proved that Ceesay was not a Gambian citizen and was therefore not entitled to have his name retained on the voters' register.

The magistrate referred to Section 13 of the Elections Act, 2025, which sets out the requirements for voter registration. The court noted that the law recognises several documents for registration, including a birth certificate, Gambian passport, National Identity Card and prescribed attestation.

Magistrate Jallow also referred to Section 28(2)(b) of the Act, which gives a Revising Court the power to remove a person's name from the voters' list where it is proved that the person is not entitled to have the name retained.

But the court stressed that simply filing an objection does not prove the allegations contained in it.

"I further relied on Section 30 of the Elections Act, which provides that the rules of evidence applicable in civil proceedings before a Magistrate Court apply to proceedings before a Revising Court," Magistrate Jallow stated.

The magistrate found that Drammeh had failed to produce direct evidence showing that Ceesay was a foreign national or a citizen of another country. The court said the circumstances surrounding the objection raised questions about its evidential basis, adding that allegations concerning a person's eligibility to remain on the voters' register must be supported by sufficient evidence.

Magistrate Jallow said the Elections Act provides a legal mechanism for people with genuine concerns about voter registration to bring objections before a Revising Court. However, she stressed that submitting an objection does not amount to proof of the allegations made against a voter.

The court held that Drammeh was required to satisfy it, on the balance of probabilities, that Ceesay did not meet the statutory requirements for registration. The magistrate further stated that suspicion must give way to evidence once an objection reaches the court for determination.

After considering the evidence, Magistrate Jallow concluded that Drammeh had failed to prove, on the balance of probabilities, that Ceesay was not a Gambian citizen or was otherwise not entitled to remain on the voters' register. The court therefore dismissed the objection.

It ordered that the objection against the retention of Ceesay's name on the voters' register be dismissed and that his name remain on the register in the relevant constituency.

The court further ordered that the appropriate entry be made in the voters' list in accordance with Section 28(6) of the Elections Act, 2025.