Sources within the UDP have informed this medium that Dr. Amadou Scattred Janneh, former Minister of Information and Communication who also happens to be the Admin Secretary for Media and Communication for the United Democratic Party is throwing his proverbial hat into the race for the highly coveted UDP ticket for Brikama Area Council Chairman.
Dr. Janneh hailed from the Kombo South village of Gunjur. He attended post-secondary institutions in the United States, culminating in a PhD in Political Science from the University of Tennessee in 1990. He then taught at his alma mater for ten years before returning to the Gambia in 2003. Upon his return, he worked at the US Embassy in Banjul for six months before he was appointed as Information and Communication Minister by former President Yahya Jammeh.
His stint at the information ministry lasted for a little under two years. He was relieved of his duties in 2005. He later ran afoul of the former regime when he was tried for treason and imprisoned for life at the notorious Mile Two prisons for printing and distributing t-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “End Dictatorship Now”. With an out pour of international outcry, advocacy, and the intervention of the Reverend Jesse Jackson, he was pardoned and expelled to the United States, where he lived until the ouster of President Yahya Jammeh in 2017.
Dr. Janneh will join a slew of other aspirants if he decides to join the race. As we go to press, Wassa Janneh, Jammeh Bojang, and Tuku Jallow have already declared their interest in the candidacy.
We will continue monitoring this Friday news tidbit, as we couldn’t reach Dr. Janneh for confirmation at this time.
