United Democratic Party leader Ousainou Darboe says his party will seek legal redress rather than take to the streets if its tally of the December presidential election results differs from figures announced by the Independent Electoral Commission.

Speaking in an interview with West Coast Radio, Mr Darboe sought to clarify recent remarks by senior UDP officials suggesting that the party would accept nothing short of victory and could celebrate if its own tally showed it had won, even before the IEC formally declares the results.

Mr Darboe said such statements were aimed at motivating party supporters and should not be interpreted as a threat of violence or a rejection of the electoral process.

“We have always been responsible people in this country,” Mr Darboe said. “We have never at any time done anything that will put this country aflame. In fact, we have always resisted that.”

The UDP leader also defended the party’s position that its supporters could celebrate if its internal tally indicates a victory, even before the electoral commission makes its official announcement.

He distinguished between a political party announcing or celebrating based on its own tally and formally declaring the winner of the presidential election, which remains the responsibility of the IEC.

Mr Darboe said the UDP would also consult its coalition partners before deciding how to respond if the opposition’s tally does not match the official results.

But he was unequivocal about the party’s intended course of action if it believes the official results are inconsistent with figures compiled by its own agents.

“If suddenly our tallies are different, we will not accept it,” Mr Darboe said. “We will go to court and ask the court to look at the two figures.”

He stressed that the UDP would challenge any disputed results through the courts rather than mobilising supporters for street protests.

“We will certainly contest it in court, but we will not take to the streets. That much, I can tell you,” he said.

By Adama Makasuba