With December 4th presidential election in the offing, it’s been an intense nomination week that saw many aspirants of the high office unnominated, leaving others fuming across the Kairaba Avenue and other Jollof boulevards.
In lieu of this, there are avalanches of observations from the electorate. The IEC did a fine job, calibrating the dramas and not compromising the standards, and probably saving the electorate from some irrelevant noise. This corroborates how independent the commission is.
Not digressing from the observations, here are some points to take home:
It’s now or never for Sallah
The PDOIS supremo wants to make his last attempt to assume Presidency. So if Gambians are ever going to make him a President, this is the only chance that they’ve got because he made it so clear that this will be his last bid for the high seat.
Dr and CA aren’t ready yet
Following the disqualification of Dr Ceesay, many CA aficionados were left overtly disappointed, but seemingly, the Dr and his party aren’t even ready. Ready in the context that, he doesn’t meet all the prerequisites to be nominated. Until he and his party prepare themselves to satisfy all what the IEC is interested in, the Dr and CA aren’t ready, at least for Jollof politics. And whenever he’s ready, Gambians are waiting for him to tile Sukuta. They probably haven’t forgotten his promises.
GAP has a lot of gaps to fill
This GAP is a very famous party. You know what that means. We do. They’ve replaced leaders over the past years, each with a distinct personality and attribute. Few weeks into the nomination, Sowe appeared to lead the party, going in for nomination. Many thought that he was the one to fill the gaps, but nomination disappointment has ebbed all that away. So the GAP gaps are still unfilled. Unfortunately.
Jammeh of NUP is the dark horse of this elections
National Unity Party boss Jammeh, is seemingly the surprise package of this polls. It’s very impressive that he got nominated in his first attempt when many of his counterparts got some flaws that disqualified them. Jammeh must be very savvy and prepared for this. For that, he’s seemingly the dark horse of December 4 polls.
GDC did it for us to see
Mamma Kandeh was an instrumental figure in 2016. He surprisingly got a lot of votes. Since then, the electorate sees how serious he is. But just few weeks to the polls, Kandeh went ahead to form an Alliance with APRC after himself denounced a Barrow visit to Kanilai, and his eventual alliance with APRC that Yahya Jammeh said no to. But satirically, Kandeh’s party itself is in alliance with that same party. Has he also suddenly forgotten the victims? Well, he’s done it for us to see.
Essa Faal is prepared for this
Also coming to the political arena for the first time, the TRRC Lead Counsel looks to be well prepared for this. Being the only nominated Independent Candidate, Faal pulls out a great crowd, too. And upon declaration of assets at the IEC, if the man’s assets are anything to go by, then it’s very likely that he can turn things around, probably around the financial discussions. If money can actually buy loyalty and allegiance, then Faal has ample money to buy these two, precisely from those that would sell theirs.
Rasta doesn’t give up, Banky is aware
Banky was another Independent Candidate who was not nominated. He’s been very famous since his introduction into the political arena. His agenda to legalize weed got lot of attention. It was a famous one. Sadly for him, he’s not met the requirements to be nominated, but Rasta doesn’t give up. Till next time.
NPP readily welcomes alliances
This is the incumbent party led by the President himself. We’ve seen a great deal of drama from their attempts to alliance with other parties. They formed an alliance with APRC before Yahya Jammeh broke their hearts. Now, they’re in alliance with a fragment of APRC, whereas the other part endorses GDC at the expense of Hydara and GANU; with the latter eventually declaring his support for Barrow and NPP. Complex? Interesting times.
UDP is the electoral powerhouse
UDP is a great force to be reckoned with. This is a common reality that’s apparent and widespread. The nomination can even corroborate that. If there are parties that are actually ready for the State House, UDP is part and parcel of them. With the political and legal experience of Darboe, alongside their mass support from the electorate, backed by longevity and consistency, UDP is overtly a great force to influence results come December 4.
Batou Saidy is a Public Health Officer and a writer. He is also a football fanatic, and a Manchester United aficionado.
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