By Omar Bah
The opposition GDC National Assembly Member for Jimara, Alhagie Sowe, has written a petition to the IEC expressing concern over President Adama Barrow’s decision to stay in Mankamang Kunda during his campaign tour, arguing that this could lead to clashes between GDC and NPP supporters in Jimara.
The letter, seen by The Standard yesterday, quoted NAM Sowe as telling the IEC: “I am writing to alert your office to the security concern of our campaign team. I want to bring to your attention that President Barrow and his NPP tour party are planning to be based in Mankamang Kunda from the 22nd to 25th March. These days are already approved by the IEC as our campaign schedule in the same area and elsewhere in the constituency and we would be using the highway where the President’s house is located on a daily basis. We fear that our supporters may be attacked or provoked by NPP supporters in or around the president’s house on the same route”.
Mr Sowe also copied similar concerns to the governor, the regional police commissioner and the Inter-Party Committee.
When contacted for comments on the matter, Mr Sowe elaborated: “I am raising the alarm here because we have experiences that whenever the president is based in Mankamang, his supporters would provoke us and I am alerting the IEC because this time around, if they provoke us, we will retaliate without a second thought. We want the IEC to advise Barrow to stay in Basse instead of Mankamang Kunda or provide us security escort because nothing will stop us from using the main highway to campaign,” Sowe said.
