By Mustapha Ceesay
Chairperson and Secretary General to International Affairs of People’s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism [PDOIS], Sidia Jatta has told Kerr Fatou that Kessemeng Sanneh ‘Kexx’ and Aminata Correa are no longer members of his party’s executive committee.
Jatta said Kexx and Correa ceased to be occupants of their positions since 9th March, the day after their election. He added that the development came after PDOIS realised that the two were not qualified for the positions when they were voted into office.
“You know when Kexx was being voted, it was not known that Kexx was not a delegate. The same thing goes for Correa. So, and delegates are the only ones who were entitled to be elected. And they are the ones entitled to vote. The duo were elected without realizing that [they were not delegates]. It was after that they [Committee] realized that they [Kexx and Correa] were not delegates,” he said.
On 8th March 2021 during the party’s elective congress at Senegambia, Kexx’ was voted as the Secretary General of the Youth Bureau; and Aminata Correa, as Deputy Secretary General.
Jatta also informed that the man and lady admitted that they were not delegates at the congress, and accepted the decision.
“In fact they admitted that they were not delegates. People have gone [to the congress] who were not chosen by anybody. They just came there like media persons- Kexx was one of them, and Correa was also one of them. It was never an issue. They accepted it,” said Sidia.
Asked why his party could not assess the status of the two ahead of their nomination and subsequent election, Jatta responded: “Normally at the congress, we setup credentials committee who identifies people entering the hall, and we issue tags [to delegates]. But this time, we did not issue any tags. That was the case. There were too many people [at the congress]. And when people are enthusiastic, certain things kill their spirit. That was why we handled it that way.”
When contacted for comments, Aminata Correa admitted receiving a missive from the party regarding the matter which she responded to, but she received no response, yet.
“I was contacted by the presiding officer two days after the congress over a dispute regarding my status at congress. I received a letter on [the] 9th of March to clarify whether I was an invitee or a delegate in which I responded to, in a letter dated 10th March 2021, highlighting the fact that I was an invitee, not a delegate. And that I was aware of the fact [that] voting rights were reserved for delegates, but [I] did not realize that only delegates can be voted for in office, until after been voted for in office,” she said.
She continued: “In the same letter, I relinquished my position as Assistant Secretary General and reaffirmed my commitment to the party. I have however, not received any confirmation from the party (central committee) in response to my letter or an official statement.”
Kexx could not be reached for comments.