By Omar Bah & Tabora Bojang
The exodus of senior politicians from the opposition to President Barrow’s National Peoples Party continues. A few weeks ago, three senior members of the Gambia Moral Congress quit to join NPP, though the GMC leadership claimed their departure makes little difference.
In the last high-profile defection from the opposition, the national chairman of the Gambia Democratic Congress Dr Demba Sabally confirmed his defection to NPP.
Contacted for confirmation, Dr Sabally said: “I can confirm to you that I have joined the NPP and President Barrow. In fact, I am right now in Essau attending a meeting with the president in his Meet the People Tour. I have affirmed my commitment to rally behind him and his NPP.”
The Standard contacted GDC spokesperson, Ahmadou Kah who said the party too learned of Mr Sabally’s defection through social media, adding that Sabally is yet to notify the GDC about is reported defection.
Meanwhile, Dr Sabally was formally introduced to President Barrow during his Meet the People Tour in Essau when the two men shook hands.
In his maiden defection speech, Sabally said: “The GDC is dead from today because I am one of its founding pillars who have played a key role in setting up all the party’s bureaus from Banjul to Basse. I am now fully behind the president because he is on the path to the truth and I want to call on all the chairmen from GDC to follow suit.”
Sabally said there are lots of issues that take people into politics and among them is to effect social change and uplift the lives of the people.
“I saw certain things in the president which influenced my decision to switch allegiance to him; he was brave to stand against Jammeh by sacrificing himself. He is a down-to-earth president and has accorded me a three-hour engagement after his visit to Nigeria. He is very tolerant as people challenge him every day, hurling all kinds of insults at him but he never waivers. Gambia’s human rights records have significantly improved under Barrow and he is a good, sympathetic leader who has the welfare of the people at heart.
We have all seen his development achievements. The opposition are lying down in their luxuries enjoying electricity and telling others that their electricity supply is coming from Senegal. Is that their business? The opposition parties are all only making noises to distract people but everybody knows Barrow as a truthful, sympathetic and a patriotic leader committed to national development,” the GDC defector said.
At the same meeting, Hamat Bah said Dr Sabally has not joined NPP to look for wealth or position, but to contribute to national development.
He called on the supporters of the NPP, GPDP, NRP and PPP to open arms and embrace Dr Sabally, adding that the NPP should not only be supported by the president but the entire membership.
“A party cannot be funded by an individual; that was never happening here. Barrow cannot sacrifice what he should take to his family for NPP because it belongs to all of us and we should all contribute. If you contribute and ask for help, you will get it but not otherwise,” Hamat warned.
