Ousainu ANM Darboe, Secretary General and Party Leader UDP
By Buba Gagigo
Ousainou Darboe, the Secretary General and Party Leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP), has refuted claims that he misses Momodou Sabally, asserting that Sabally was previously aligned with the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) before joining the UDP.
“I really don’t miss Momodou Sabally. If Ebrima Dibba leaves the United Democratic Party today, it will shock me. I am not saying I will not be able to overcome the shock, but it will take a while. If Mboge Saidykhan leaves the United Democratic Party, it will shock me, and it will take time before I recover from it. Fatou Janneh and Arra Demba the same thing. If those people leave the United Democratic Party, I will think that something is fundamentally wrong. Mr. Sabally comes by me every time; I can say he is virtually integrated in my family. But Momodou Sabally is not in the same position as Ebrima Dibba. Momodou Sabally was APRC all along. He was APRC and he decided to join UDP. In our party, we believe in one thing: a true United Democratic Party member doesn’t leave the United Democratic Party at all,” Darboe said.
The remarks were made during an interview aired on QTV. During the interview, Darboe also addressed recent remarks by President Adama Barrow, who claimed to have financed the UDP. He described the president’s assertions as misleading and baseless.
“That’s absolutely wrong; that is a misleading statement. President Barrow never financed the United Democratic Party. That is misleading the Gambian people. He was talking to people who could not engage him, who could not challenge him. President Barrow wouldn’t sit here, face me and make such a misleading statement with all due respect to the high office that he holds. If you are holding certain high positions in society, there are certain things you avoid saying. Things that are absolutely unfounded because you invite reactions that are unbefitting to the office that you hold. But what he said is misleading and is not true,” Darboe said.
Citing specific examples, Darboe challenged Barrow’s narrative, referencing the coalition era and the financial support the UDP extended to him at the time.
“He asked for Karim Touray in particular. He himself stated how much Karim Touray did. In 2007, the United Democratic Party paid his deposit before we decided to withdraw (from the election). When we decided to withdraw, he also withdrew his candidacy. We paid for him. If he were the millionaire he claims to be, he would have paid for his deposit. I think the high office that he holds, he should be very mindful of what he says. He should say things that when he’s challenged, he will not be found wanting to be honest,” Darboe said during an interview on QTV.