By Buba Gagigo
Sheriffo Bayor Sonko, a prominent supporter of the United Democratic Party (UDP) describes Gambia’s Minister of Justice, Dawda Jallow, as the worse Justice Minister the Gambia has ever had.
The UDP man was responding to the Ministry of Justice’s press release responding to the UDP leader lawyer Ousainu Darbo who said his party will not allow the government to tamper with the Supreme Court judgment. The UDP Leader’s statement came after the government announced the establishment of a commission of inquiry into the conduct of local government administrations.
The Justice ministry described Mr. Ousainou Darboe, leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP)’s statement as ‘inaccurate’ and ‘illogical’ statements and said the UDP Leader’s statement is a distortion of facts, signaling a new low in our political discourse with an attempt to score cheap political points at the expense of truth and political decency.
Also, the National People’s Party (NPP) hold a press conference to respond to Darboe’s statement.
Responding to National People’s Party press conference and the Justice ministry’s statement, Sheriffo Bayor Sonko Said;
“Desperation is killing NPP and the worst Minister of Justice in the history of The Gambia Dawda Jallow. NPP’s first Vice chairman Demba Sabally, Seedy Njie, and the entire executive members of NPP can’t take The speech of Honourable Ousanou Darboe because he is the most powerful man in The Gambia to an extent they have to respond to him on a public holiday after the NPP executive unveiled there evil intentions that the president is setting up this commission because there was evidence of financial mismanagement in four UDP lead councils namely; Basse, Janjangbureh, Banjul and KMC.
“That is why the president is setting up the commission and the commission recommendations will be executed by force which means they have already made their minds before the start of the witch-hunting commission as a political tool against another party just to stop their candidates.
“If you listen to Honourable Darboe’s message and you listen or read the press statement of NPP and the Ministry of Justice, you will understand that both the Ministry of Justice and NPP are misleading, misinforming, and misinterpreting the statement of Honourable Darboe in Gunjur to the public.
“Honourable Darboe didn’t say anywhere in his speech that the president did not have powers to set up a commission of inquiry instead he said ‘we are not going to allow the president to interfere with the ruling of the supreme court on the fifty-four councilors, Mayors and chairmen against the Attorney General.
“‘If you want to set up a commission, why didn’t you do it during the time your minister wanted to set up a commission against the councils but you lose it all and now you want to use the back door through the influence of the so-called researchers or local government experts to mislead you to interfere into the work of the council after the ruling of the Supreme Court.
“‘We are not going to accept it and we are not going allow the government to be always stepping on us all the time, never again. We are not going to allow that in this country. This is not about party but a national concern’. In short, this is what Mr. Darboe said.
“Is a big disgrace that a whole ministry of Justice can’t translate the speech of Honourable Darboe or maybe they are only intending to mislead the citizens against Honourable Darboe.
“In conclusion, If the president is serious about fighting against corruption, bad governance, and mismanagement in The Gambia, why didn’t he set up a commission to investigate the death of more than seventy babies in The Gambia?
“Why didn’t he set up a commission about the fake receipts millions scandal at The Gambia Ports Authority since 2021?
“Why he didn’t set up a commission about financial mismanagement at NAWEC and other government institutions like the COVID-19 funds and many other financial mismanagements revealed by the auditors?
“If the president with his NPP executive and worst minister of Justice believe in the commission as a means of reform, why didn’t they implement the full report of the Janneh commission?
“The president needs to understand power belongs to the people. Let him not think the power he has cannot be taken from him by the citizens who voted for him. He should reflect his mind on his campaign messages during the 2016 presidential elections against Jammeh.
“The minister or whoever is advising him today will all disassociate themselves from him if things became difficult for him just like what Jammeh faced in 2016. If Jammeh can come back today he will never commit the mistake and troubles they pushed him into in the past. So it is important for you to reflect your mind towards those errors and see the interest of the citizens and peace of The Gambia instead of political or personal interest.
“Many people around you today were with Jammeh when he was committing all that is stopping him to come back to The Gambia but they never stop him because of their personal interest. Today Jammeh is in exile the same people who were misleading him are the ones surrounding you, God forbid if you have a problem, none of them will associate themselves with you.
“But what is clear is, the minister of Justice is not qualified or maybe lacks the knowledge to hold that position. That is why the ministry has been losing cases in courts on several occasions.
“The only cases this government won under his term in office as minister of Justice are cases in which the government contract private lawyers. So how can he advise the president correctly in legal matters for the interest of the country?
“What a shame to you, a minister who cannot even advise the government on proper legal matters before using taxpayers’ money or wasting the court time with cases without substantial evidence”.