By Omar Bah
The former secretary general of the People’s Progressive Party, Omar Jallow has said that the Coalition 2016 agreement was imposed on President Adama Barrow because he was never part of the formation of the political grouping.
“What I want to say is that the three-year agreement was not something proposed by President Barrow.
We imposed it on him because he never attended a coalition meeting as he was not a member of the Coalition executive,” OJ said in a Star FM interview to be aired this morning.
The former minister who was until recently the most vocal advocate for Barrow to step down after three years, said although he would have still resigned as minister after the three years if he was still serving in government, he would now “recommend for President Barrow to complete the five years mandated by the constitution if that is in the interest of the Gambia”.
“I have informed the Coalition Chairperson Fatoumatta Jallow-Tambajang to call an emergency meeting (when she returns from Mecca) of all the political parties, the 3 Years Jotna group, the opposing 5-Year Movement, civil society and religious leaders so that we address the issue of the three years and agree on something that will be in the interest of peace and stability,” he explained.
OJ further said he is of the opinion that there is no Gambian who will want the country to go for another election without a new constitution or to have a president who occupies the State House with only 30% of the votes.
“This is why it is important we have a new constitution so that the 51% clause will be entrenched in the new constitution,” he said.
OJ added that with all the commissions that are currently ongoing “it is only prudent that they are given time to finish their process before the country goes to the polls again”.
He accused the UDP leader of causing the split in the coalition, arguing that: “When we formed the coalition and said three years, Ousainu Darboe who is respected by many Gambians was in jail but after his release he told the whole country that the Coalition made a mistake and that President Barrow should serve for five years as dictated by the constitution.
He went to the extent of threatening to sue anyone who wants to force Barrow to step down.
So I think this is not the time for us to politicize things”, he said.
