By Omar Bah
Momodou Hydara, a manager at Jah Oil Company, has categorically denied allegations that his company deliberately refused to sell diesel fuel to independent candidate Essa Faal on his nomination day.
The petrol company has been accused by Team Essa Faal of refusing to sell fuel to them during the nomination period despite making a prior request.
Faal’s campaign team alleged that Jah Oil instead decided to sell fuel to only Barrow’s NPP.
Mr Faal himself confirmed contacting Jah Oil boss to make a formal request for to supply his team coming from Brikama at their Jah Oil Kembujeh petrol station.
But reacting to the allegations, Mr Hydara told The Standard yesterday: “It is completely false to say that we refused to sell fuel to Team Essa simply because that particular day Kembujeh was out of fuel. In fact, the only place that was pumping fuel on that day was Banjul.
“This is why when his (Essa’s) boy went to the manager in Kembujeh and said he was asked to come there and take fuel, the manager told him there was no fuel but he insisted and later recorded a video and claimed that the station was instead loading NPP vehicles. This is false,” Hydara said.
He explained that the NPP vehicles were buying “cash and carry” at the Banjul pump station.
“Essa Faal’s Team has been buying fuel from us and that is the difference between them and the NPP because the NPP are not our customers and they have not been buying fuel from us before the crisis. So, I don’t think any intelligent businessman will abandon his customers when they need it the most,” he said.
On Essa’s claims that he requested for fuel from Jah Oil’s boss, Hydara added: “I heard Essa saying he called my boss to make arraignments for him in Kembujeh but I don’t know anything about that because I was not informed and usually when such transactions come, I run them.”
Hydara said Team Essa Faal has “not paid them in advance”.
“We don’t have any pre-arrangment with anybody before this nomination. This is why immediately after I heard the allegations I reached out to Essa to explain the error of judgment made by his team,” Hydara added.
