The campaign team of the Gambia Football Federation presidential aspirant Sadibou Kamaso has alleged that incumbent president Lamin Kaba Bajo’s team wants to amend the constitution to create two new vice president positions, among other things, on the day of the elective congress in August.
The Kamaso campaign also claimed that the very idea of creating a 4th and 5th vice presidential positions was in fact their idea being plagiarized by the Kaba-regime. They further alleged that the GFF leadership paid allowances to Exco members to attend the Afcon who never even travelled to the event.
The Campaign made these allegations in a statement released and shared with the media yesterday. The statement reads in full:
“We have been made aware of a meeting held by our political opponents-the Kaba-team on Sunday where some regional presidents, some club presidents or representatives, some allied association presidents and or representatives were present.
In the said meeting, the team resolved to have the following people as candidates;
1. Mr. Bajo – President
2. Mr. Jammeh – 1st VP
3. Mr. Faye – 2nd VP
4. Mr. Kanyi – 3rd VP
Other members of the Executive include:
– Arret Njie Jah
– Maimuna Kanteh
– Ramou Ndow
– John Frank Mendy
During their meeting, the Kaba-team members talked about making constitutional amendments on the day of the election before voting begins to allow them to create 4th and 5th VP positions and also add four other females in the current executive.
Let it be known to everyone that constitutional amendments can only be done at an AGM or an Extraordinary AGM none of which can be held before the Elective Congress. As a matter of fact, an Extra Ordinary AGM can only be held within 2 months when 40% of members make the request. There are plans to butcher our constitution to satisfy the political desires of some.
A Campaign and media teams have also been formed and we welcome them to the political arena with a challenge for a political debate.
It is well established that the idea to have a 4th and 5th VP is the idea of the Team Restore Confidence as captured in our Starting XI which was launched in March.
We are aware of some members of the other camp claiming the starting XI was their idea but unfortunately, they contradicted themselves in that meeting with the formation of the starting XI clearly exposing their plagiarism.
This is the same way the idea of the football hotel was picked by some individuals and made to look like theirs.
The Team Restore Confidence is also being accused of voter inducement according to our opponents who claimed we have been giving balls to clubs.
We want to remind the other camp that we are very much aufait with the Fifa ethics and we have not in any way induced or coerced anyone to give us their votes.
Rather, it is the GFF executive who have already breached the Fifa ethics code by paying allowances to GFF Exco members who chose not to travel to the AFCON but sat home and got allowances.
It is the same GFF Executive who claimed to have chosen the winners of the 1st and 2nd Division Leagues to take them to AFCON but chose PSV Wellingara instead of Samger FC. when everyone knows it is Falcons who won the league and Samger came 2nd. We are all baffled as to how PSV got a ticket to go to AFCON.
The same Executive has been calling individuals telling them, they took them to AFCON because they needed their votes.
The same Executive recently, because it is a political year, offered tickets and transportation to clubs and RFAs to go and watch the AFCON match all of which were meant to induce voters.
The same Executive also made calls to individuals with promises of jobs if they win in exchange for support.
There are lots of Fifa ethics issues that we have up our sleeves to bring to the attention of the stakeholders including certain individuals holding positions in two clubs playing in the same league and findings of reports that were to be sent but still kept.
The above, are a tip of the iceberg but the Team Restore Confidence is finalising a massive media campaign to come out with all these facts for everyone to see and be their own judge.
We want to make it clear that we embarked upon a campaign based on decency where we can sell our ideas, plans and policies and not attack individuals. However, if our opponents want us to take a different route, we are ready to do this within the blink of an eye.
GFF reacts
Meanwhile asked to comment or clarify these allegations, the GFF second vice president Ebou Faye said for the constitution to be amended it must be agreed and for the interest of football. Also asked to comment on the allegations of paying allowances to Exco members who never travelled, Mr Faye retorted: “Paid allowances to who”?
On the allegation that Kaba’s team had stolen their idea of creating more vice presidents Mr Faye said: ‘Our manifesto is not yet out so how can they say we steal their ideas. Are they the ones having monopoly of ideas?”.
