Bambayel Mballow, the Alkalo of Sare Talata
By Buba Gagigo
Bambayel Mballow, the Alkalo of Sare Talata has refuted comments made by Presidential adviser, Dou Sannoh, that he invited him (Dou) to his village to have a meeting with him.
“I heard him (Dou Sannoh) say I was the one who sent for him to come to my village. I reject his statement in totality. You know very well that we don’t even know each other. You spoke with the Imam, but not me. It was the orderly of the Chief who came and told me that you wanted to come to Sare Talata and discuss with me, and I accepted. You came and talked about politics, you talked about Mama Kandeh and the GDC candidate.
“If you had come just to meet us, you shouldn’t have talked about politics. I was even afraid because I never expected that was your reason for coming to my village. If I had known it was about politics, I wouldn’t have been involved because I am an Alkalo. It is just because you already came, and I couldn’t do anything about it and I cannot ask you to leave, that’s why I let you continue,” he said.
The Alkalo said it was after his discussion with Dou Sanno that GDC supporters came to inform the presidential adviser that it was not his turn to be at Sare Talata.
“After our discussion, the GDC supporters came and told you that you shouldn’t have come here because it was their Party’s turn. There was Chaos and you punched Manneh’s phone, it fell down and broke. You hit him and there was a fight. That was the time I took you to your car and that’s how you left. Just say you came for politics, but don’t say I invited you for a meeting. I didn’t discuss that with you. Why didn’t you tell me that you wanted to have a meeting with me when we met at Sare Sanding, but you didn’t. I can swear I cannot even recognize you even when we meet, and I know you don’t know me. You don’t know me and you shouldn’t use my name in politics because I am an Alkalo,” the Alkalo said.
President Adama Barrow’s Political Adviser Dou Sannoh clashed with the opposition Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) supporters at Sare Talata on Thursday. The GDC supporters accused him of campaigning at Sare Talata on a day that GDC was supposed to be campaigning in that village. Dou Sannoh, however, said he was not there for politics but to honour an invitation of the Alkalo of Sare Talata.