By Omar Bah
A key NPP surrogate Seedy Njie, has said claims that the president’s ongoing Meet the People’s Tour has been politicised are “ridiculous”.
Njie, a visceral defender of President Jammeh’s refusal to step down after he lost the 2016 elections, resigned from the APRC on June 4th , 2018 to join Barrow claiming he is biologically related to the president.
He told The Standard yesterday: “The president’s tour has so far been for the people and by people by all indicators. Those who are saying it’s been politicised are just jealous of the tremendous support the president is receiving.”
“The president’s critics are criticising the tour because they know he is winning the hearts of Gambians. We should put aside our personal vendetta and focus on how to build this country. We can only achieve this when we are honest to ourselves. So really to say the president has used the tour to sell his political agenda is totally hypocritical and misleading,” Njie added.
Reacting specifically to one Babucarr Cham, a resident of his native Chamen in Nianija who expressed disappointment over the messages President Adama Barrow has been receiving across the country during his nationwide tour, Njie rebutted, “he was not even in Nianija during the meeting”.
“When I realised that the president was going to visit Chamen Nianija, I personally contacted Bubacarr Cham and other prominent citizens of the village. I also travelled to the village and gave cola nuts to the imam to inform the entire village about the president’s coming. I travelled on four occasions to Chamen just to have a meeting with the villagers to discuss modalities and means of preparation ahead of the president’s visit,” Njie said.
He added: “It was agreed during the meeting that we should talk about water problems in our village, health, electricity, inadequate classrooms, rice fields and that when the president arrives he should pass through the village. All these issues requested by the villagers were done. The alkalo, imam and myself were given the opportunity to talk about all these concerns. When the president was responding he promised to provide all the things we requested.
“I think Bubacarr Cham who is a UDP supporter is politically frustrated because all those who were behind him including his family members have left him to join President Barrow and the NPP.
Criticisms
Speaking on the criticism of his decision to join Barrow, Njie added: “It is out of jealousy. All those criticising me wanted me to be a farmer in Nianija by now but by Allah’s will that has not happened. To me there is no permanent enemy in politics. I thank Allah because I am committed to whatever course I found myself on. So when it comes to President Barrow I have given everything, I don’t play double standards,” he said.
