By Omar Bah
The Gambia Alliance for National Unity, GANU, has described as “non-event” the reported defection of its mobiliser general Modou Sanyang to the United Democratic Party. Mr Sanyang was seen on social media in full embrace with KM mayor Talib Bensouda in a post that announced his defection to the UDP.
But a senior official at GANU told The Standard that Mr Sanyang has effectively been deleted from the party’s membership long since and has never been anywhere near influence in the party. “He was never a heavy weight and never actually mobilized anyone to the party. His reported defection is therefore a non-event to GANU which is not anyway affected by his departure,” a top GANU official said.
GANU further revealed Mr Sanyang had said he is interested in recovering money owed to him by the KMC through services he rendered during the past regime. ”His decision to defect through the mayor may be driven by such interest,” the GANU official said. The party said any suggestion that Mr Sanyang has a large following in Foni or Kombo is laughable.
Contacted for comments, Mr Sanyang confirmed he has left GANU for UDP because he is convinced that UDP is the party better placed to suit his choice. “I can confirm to you that I have left GANU to join the United Democratic Party. This is what politics is all about. You join political parties based on their ideologies and agendas. So I decided to join the UDP because I think they are the right political party to develop this country. Political parties and governments will come and go but The Gambia is here to stay. I have nothing against GANU or its leadership, it is just that I feel UDP has better policies to transform this country.”
Reacting to claims that he was not influential in GANU, Sanyang said that is for his former party to decide. “If they say I was not influential and have not brought a single person to the party, that is left to them. I would not comment on that.”
Responding to suggestions that his defection is a bid to get his reported money from KMC, Sanyang said: “That is not correct. KMC does not owe me a single butut. You see, people in this country can use anything to frame you in politics”.
