By Omar Bah
NPP’s Momodou Sabally has claimed that over 2,000 opposition supporters will soon decamp to the ruling party as he criss-crosses the country canvassing for President Barrow’s party. He declines to say who the defectors are and what parties they are leaving.
“It will come as a surprise,” Sabally said in a Star FM exclusive shared with The Standard.
“Few days ago, I was in Kiang, and I know what we have done there, and I can assure you that very soon more than 2,000 people will join the NPP. Those who are saying my move to the NPP will not affect the UDP and that I will not take anyone along will soon see the result because I have decided to dedicate my life to politics,” he said.
“It is not a small thing for a campaign manager to leave a political party,” he reminded.
Sabally was the campaign manager of the UDP until December 20 when he resigned and joined the NPP.
He said those saying President Barrow cannot win the 2026 presidential election because the electorate is not happy about the prices of foods and other basic commodities “do not understand politics because that is a global problem that is not unique to The Gambia”.
He said the issue that was badly affecting the government was its microeconomic policies, but they have started working on them, and soon Gambians will start seeing the positive impacts.
The seasoned economist who served as a researcher at the Central Bank and as director of budget for many years explained: “The government has started reducing its borrowing this year, and that would have a ripple effect on the economy because then the private sector will be able to have the required funds from the banks to be able to invest,” he said.
He said with “the good programmes” the government is working on, Barrow will rule The Gambia and when he decides to step down, hand it over to another person in the NPP.
“I am speaking based on what I have seen in terms of the party’s organisation and plans,” he added.
Division
On the bellicose rhetoric and bad blood spreading a toxic pall over politics in the nation, Sabally said: “If we share a country, all of us cannot belong to one tribe, one religion, or one political party, but we should agree that we are all Gambians. We should avoid dichotomising… the country. It is happening in this country, and it is very bad. Just because you don’t share the same political ideology with someone, you consider the person a bad citizen. That should not happen.”
Sabally also criticised some media owners who deny “knowledgeable and experienced” Gambians the opportunity to appear on their radios or television stations just because they don’t support the ruling party.
“This is very bad, and it is happening in this country. We should stop it. We know politics comes with a lot of jealousy, but we should not split the country into pieces. If you don’t share the same tribe with someone, you don’t want to have anything to do with the person, and if you don’t share the same political ideology, you consider him or her a bad citizen. That is wrong. If we believe in the mantra that The Gambia is one, we should all endeavour to unite its people and stop overriding each other,” he preached.
He said Gambians should take advantage of President Barrow’s humility and unite for the sake of the country’s development. Sabally added that the country’s transition is still slow because of its own people, who are unwilling to support the process. He said opposing somebody should not be about hating the person. “A good politician should be polite and accommodating,” he said.
