By Omar Bah
One Saul Badjie, a supporter of the rival faction of APRC who recently released an audio to condemn the APRC/NPP alliance, has clarified that he is not the fugitive former army Gen Saul Badjie as many people believed.
“I am Saul Badjie from Sanyang village and I want to apologise for any inconvenience the misapprehension of my voice audio might have caused,” Badjie said in another audio released yesterday.
The widely-shared WhatsApp audio was believed to be recorded by the exiled former State Guards Commander and close aide of former president Yahya Jammeh. In the audio, Mr Badjie was heard criticising the APRC executive’s decision to form an alliance with the National People’s Party.
While the majority of APRC executives have accepted the alliance with the president’s party, other disgruntled supporters of the former ruling party have ganged up against the idea.
The man behind the audio, who is currently living abroad, said though his name is Saul Badjie, he did not at any time attempt to suggest that he was Gen Badjie.
”We are just namesakes. But I didn’t call myself Gen Saul Badjie in the audio or try to impersonate him. My voice is completely different from that of Gen Saul Badjie and I never said I was him. I only said my name, which is Saul Badjie. I urge Gambians to desist from manipulation.”
Immediately after the circulation of the audio, APRC deputy leader Ousman Rambo Jatta in his typical style issued a WhatsApp audio saying the voice was far from similar to that of Gen Badjie. But Rambo went ahead to say that it was concocted by someone to sabotage the NPP/APRC alliance.
But the man behind the audio replied: “I want to specifically tell Rambo Jatta to stop jumping to conclusions without verification. As a party leader, if you hear something you shouldn’t just rush and start reacting without verifying,” Badjie said.
Badjie however maintained that he is completely against the APRC/NPP alliance because it is not in the interest of the country.
“I have been an APRC supporter from day one and I have never changed. Just hearing my voice shouldn’t make you conclude that I am a Mandinka supporting the UDP. I am pure Jola, I don’t want to address you otherwise because I have high regards for you as my leader.
“We are not speaking in the same direction when it comes to the APRC working with the NPP but that doesn’t mean I should disrespect you. I want to however unequivocally state that I am not going to support an alliance with the NPP because working with Barrow is not in the interest of the country,” he added.
