By Buba Gagigo
In a telephone call, former President Yahya Jammeh announced taking the “full leadership” of the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) and ditched the NPP/APRC alliance.
He made these comments on Friday in his home village of Kanilai following a row between the current APRC executive and a faction of the party over the pact with the NPP.
“I want to make it very clear. I have taken full leadership of the APRC Party as stated in the construction of APRC. I am the supreme leader, flag barrier and I am the party Chairman and I want to make this announcement very clear,” Jammeh told APRC supporters opposing the alliance.
NPP-APRC alliance
The former Gambian president denied approving the agreement between his party and his successor’s.
“We are not going to allien with any movement that is going to take The Gambia backward. As a Democratic Party, we cannot prevent anybody from moving to any other party. In that case, you have removed yourself from the APRC. All those who went to NPP, we have no problem, but we are not going to allien with NPP. We are going to allien with the GANU party,” he said.
Jammeh named a new executive as a replacement to Fakabary Tombong Jatta led executive for going into the agreement without his blessings.
“These people who left the party never had my blessing, never had my consent or permission to hold such an alliance with any party. Members of the executive who have left the party and went to join another party, I have no problem with that but they have been replaced by the following people: Hon Abdu Jarju, Hon. Bakary Saibo Sanneh, Muhammeh Lamin Jammeh, Yahya Tamba, Hon. Jerrinding Sanyang, Hon. Matarr Kujabi, Hon. Ebou Sambou, Hon. Omar Mamburay, Pamodou Mbowe, Regina Williams and Habib Secka,” Jammeh listed.
He informed us that the new executive would work with the GANU party.
Reacting to Jammeh’s address, Fabakary Tomorrow Jatta, the APRC interim party leader told his supporters not to be threatened and said, “no one owns APRC”.
“No one owns APRC; it’s for all of us. We, the ones sitting here, will leave one day and you will come. You will also go and others will come. That’s what builds a party, that’s what I want people to understand. I am appealing to you- let this not threaten anybody. Just close your ears. Let’s continue with what we are known for- discipline, calmness and accept what God destinies,” he said.
On the new committee
Mr Jatta insisted that the new committee is not APRC, but people who left them for the GANU party.
“I heard that a new committee was formed. They are not APRC but people who left us for the GANU party. They can be GANU or Independent, but not APRC. I am not saying tomorrow, but today is us,” Fabakary Tombong Jatta assured his supporters.