By Ebrima Jallow
The GDC party has dismissed claims by President Barrow’s surrogate Seedy Njie that the Barrow Youth for National Development (BYND) has shaken the Mamma Kandeh-led party.
Njie told The Standard on Wednesday that a majority of GDC members have defected to the Barrow camp.
In a swift rebuttal, GDC national youth president, Modou MC Cham Jnr, said no political party or group can shake his party and that more people are joining his party than are leaving it.
He stated: “It is a very big shame for people like Seedy Njie to claim BYND superiority over the GDC. As you know BYND is an NGO. How can an NGO shake a well-established political party like the GDC? I thought he would have said the UDP or APRC are shaking the GDC.
Making such claims about the BYND now suggests that it is a political party which I think is illegal. This justifies Mamma Kandeh’s calls for BYND to be stopped from engaging in political activities.
“Even those who joined the Barrow camp recently have abandoned it to join other parties because they have lost trust and confidence in Barrow’s government.
Those who are leaving the GDC to join Barrow are doing it for their selfish interest and not in the interest of the country.
“If the BYND really means business, they should register as a political party with the IEC. I think there is no political party that can shake the GDC.
People are just claiming that GDC supporters are leaving to join BYM but that is not true because just recently, almost 250 yaï compins (women’s groups) have joined the GDC.
Just this Tuesday, almost 50 women’s groups in Basse joined the GDC.
They were all supporters of President Barrow. All genuine Gambians are leaving Barrow now because they know he is not capable of governing and cannot win an election in this country again.”
He said Seedy Njie and people like him have to account to Gambians for their dealings with former President Yahya Jammeh.
“Seedy is continuing to mislead Gambians, particularly President Barrow. His recent claim that 70 percent of Gambians are behind Barrow is clear testimony he is lying to satisfy the president.
I think his decision to join Barrow has made lot of enemies for the president. He should give us a break,” he said.
