By Omar Bah
Retired army general, Lang Tombong Tamba has told APRC supporters, especially those in Foni, that voting for President Adama Barrow is the easiest path for Yahya Jammeh’s return to the country.
In a WhatsApp audio recorded to specifically address APRC supporters who are against the alliance with NPP, General Tamba said: “The alliance with NPP is the right thing to do because the easiest way for Jammeh to return to this country is President Barrow winning the election.
If President Barrow wins, he will proclaim that Jammeh has been forgiven. It was former president Jammeh who facilitated his predecessor Sir Dawda’s return. So anybody who doesn’t support the coalition doesn’t want Jammeh to come back because if there is no coalition to ensure Barrow’s reelection, Jammeh will not return and if some of these other parties rule this country, I swear Jammeh will not step foot here because that is not their intention.”
He said the TRRC will release its recommendations “very soon and you will see what they will recommend about Yahya Jammeh”.
“This is why I said we should support President Barrow because he is the only chance for Jammeh to return. I understand those who are against the alliance went to Kanilai and asked them not to support it but I want to tell the people of Kanilai that if they want Jammeh to come back, they should support Barrow,” he added.
Gen Tamba blasted as “nonentities” those criticising the alliance, saying if they think they are lions they should come out from their hideouts and face those they are insulting, adding that if the APRC was left in the hands of those against the NPP/APRC alliance, the party would have died by now.
“We all know when President Jammeh was leaving he entrusted the party to Fabakary Tombong Jatta and his executive and nobody was paying them. Why should we allow these people to come now and say they don’t accept the current executive and pretending that they have communicated with Jammeh which is not true? If Jammeh is going to talk he will talk to the person he entrusted the party to and not to these people.
“In fact, who are these people? They are claiming to have done this and that. What have they done? The people who have done something that kept the party alive are there and they are not talking. How can you sit outside making noise, claiming to be a lion and you think people are scared,” he said, not naming anybody.
He added: “If Jammeh was not happy with what is happening he would have removed FTJ and his executive from the party and replaced them with others”.
Gen Tamba said people like MA Bah jumped from one political party to another since the change.
“When he wanted to come back, he consulted someone abroad to give him permission to return to the party. Who is that person? How many coups were planned here against Yahya Jammeh? But it was people like me who stood their ground to foil them and because of that, Jammeh continued to be president until 2016,” he said.
He said those who think Jammeh will return to the country out of the blue are dreaming.
“You stay abroad claiming that Jammeh will come back and that there should be no coalition with NPP. What stops you from coming to the country?” he added.
