By Omar Bah
The admin secretary of the National Peoples Party has warned the country’s opposition to stop making unnecessary noise and put their houses in order or they will be disappointed in 2021.
“I am advising the opposition to go back to the drawing board to reorganise themselves or else they will face their biggest shock in 2021,” Mambanyick Njie said in a Star FM interview to be aired today.
The former GDC spokesperson said the opposition will make the biggest mistake if they underestimate President Barrow.
“If they wish they can interpret the Niamina West and Kerr Jarga by-elections as a local contest but they were seeing these elections as a referendum for the NPP to test its popularity,” he said.
“It is because the table has turned, they are saying let’s wait for the 2021 presidential election. But let them know that the NPP’s art of politics has won and will continue to win in 2021. Anyone who underrates the NPP is making a big mistake. The opposition should understand that they don’t own the people. Nobody can convince the people not to vote for President Barrow because Gambians want peace and Barrow is giving that to them,” he said.
Njie added: “The mistake many of the opposition are making is underrating Barrow – thinking that they are the ones who are supposed to be at the presidency. We should do politics based on ideas. Barrow was picked out of 2 million to lead this country by God,'” he said.
He said the Niamina West by-election has galvanised lot of support for the NPP, “activating many people who were sitting on the fence. They will now have the confidence to join us”.
Allegations of inducement
The NPP administrative secretary refuted claims that government resources were used in the party’s campaign.
“There was not a single government resource spent during the Niamina West and Kerr Jarga by-elections. If they say we spent money in the by-elections, they should come up with proofs. You see, the Gambian people are not sleeping – government money cannot be spent just like that. Before you can take a single butut from the coffers, you will need an invoice which will be approved by the permanent secretary and then the accountant will raise a voucher and even that voucher will need to go to the national treasury and the director of treasury will not approve funds for political activities,” he added.
He continued: “We are not going to engage in denying or accepting – let them come out to prove their allegation. If we had bought voter’s cards, the number of people who voted would not have voted. The difference in number of voters in this election and the last election is just little over 100 votes.”
On the complaint of ministers taking part in campaigns, Njie said ministers are political appointees and should take part in politics.
APRC alliance
He said there is no alliance between NPP and APRC but said in the future, anything is possible. He argued that civilians who were supporting Jammeh have not killed any Gambian.
“If people died, it is the soldiers who killed them not the civilian supporters of the party. Why are they only viewing APRC supporters joining the NPP as bad people and condoning those going to other parties?”
