Earlier Tuesday afternoon, the National Assembly member whose nomination has been revoked by President Adama Barrow has been reportedly told she could not chair a Committee Meeting of the lawmaking body.
Kerr Fatou has been reliably told the “deputy clerk” of the Assembly has asked Ya Kumba Jaiteh to leave as she chaired the afternoon meeting of the Trades Committee of the lawmaking body.
The Committee was having meetings with officials from the Trades Ministry. The clerk of the Assembly, Momodou Sisay, told Kerr Fatou that he was not at his office when it happened and thus could not comment on it.
Sisay claimed he did not have much information to comment but did confirmed that he heard of it.
Sisay said he was at the inauguration of the new office complex for National Audit Office though it was unexplained how his juniors could act upon an instruction that he was not aware of.
Meanwhile, the vice chair of the parliamentary Committee, Bilay G. Tunkara, did confirmed the postponement of their today’s meeting.
Tunkara, one of the lawmakers who believe the president does have the authority to fire a nominated member, said it was considered improper for Kumba to chair the meeting because her nomination in the lawmaking body was revoked.
Tunkara said he was busy at a press conference when the incident happened.
“She cannot chair the meeting. She has an issue to settle… Therefore, she has to go to the court,” said Tunkara who is the vice chair of the Trades Committee.
He claimed some of their members were angry at the idea of Jaiteh chairing because of the revocation of her nomination as a lawmaker.
Despite repeated calls, Kerr Fatou could not get Jaiteh on phone for comment. The majority leader of the lawmaking body Kebba Barrow claims no knowledge of the incident.
Jaiteh was given an official letter from the presidency revoking her nomination on Monday. The decision angered several lawmakers and Gambian activists who called it unconstitutional.
Jaiteh, herself a lawyer, challenged the constitutionality of her sacking in an open letter to the secretary general Ebrima Camara, through whom he received her letter.