By Omar Bah
The spokesperson of the APRC, Amul Nyassi has said the party is not anticipating any comments or clarification from former president Yahya Jammeh on the alliance with the National People’s Party, NPP.
The APRC executive is in a bitter war of words with a splinter group, calling itself Operation No To Coalition, who claimed former president Jammeh is not in support of the party’s alliance with NPP. Neutral observers anticipate that Jammeh would at some point reveal his position on the matter.
However, in his first media interview on the alliance with Star FM’s Pa Nderry Touray to be broadcast tomorrow, Amul Nyassi said: “We are not expecting Jammeh’s call or comments about the alliance before the election because it is not necessary and to say that Jammeh will release an audio to go against the alliance is ridiculous. If Jammeh wishes to discuss politics, I am sure he will contact Fabakary Tombong Jatta.”
He said the alliance is centered on supporting President Barrow’s reelection and not surrendering the APRC to the NPP.
“The alliance will make the APRC even better. We wanted to contest the election but we couldn’t due to financial issues,” he explained, adding that the alliance will help the country in its reconciliation.
Commenting on the reported division in the APRC over the matter, Nyassi said: “You see, APRC as a party is not divided. We are still very solid under the leadership of Fabakary and his executives. I also want to make it emphatically clear that I am fully behind the FTJ executive. We move and think in the same direction”.
Nyassi also said 85% of Foni’s voting population supports the alliance, which he said is in the interest of the APRC, Jammeh, and whoever is supporting the party, whether here or outside.
“The idea is meant to consolidate the APRC’s efforts and plans to return to power,” he said.
The Kansala lawmaker however admitted that it has been a long time since he last spoke to Jammeh.
“But if you are connecting this to the situation on the ground, I can tell you that President Jammeh knows very well what Fabakary and his executives are doing and that whatever they do will be in the interest of him, APRC, and the country,” he said.
Trust in Barrow
Nyassi, a former local government minister under Jammeh, said APRC has “no reason to doubt or fear that President Barrow will not implement the agreement in the alliance MOU”.
“I have not seen anything in him that tells me he is going to betray us and I have not seen anyone he betrayed. In fact, President Barrow has fulfilled all our demands so far, which include returning the party’s vehicles. So, we cannot say he is a betrayer when he has not betrayed us,” Nyassi said.
The lawmaker declined to comment on whether the agreement was signed but he rebutted as false reports that the APRC executive collected money from Barrow for the alliance and challenged anybody who has evidence to provide them.
