By Omar Bah
Former Finance Minister and opposition United Democratic Party’s National Treasurer, Amadou Sanneh, has urged Gambian opposition parties to rally behind UDP, arguing that Ousainu Darboe is a man of his words and will never betray them.
Addressing a meeting on Saturday organised to welcome former presidential aspirant Alhagie Suwareh to the UDP, Mr Sanneh said Mr Darboe as opposed to President Adama Barrow, will stand by his words.
“The opposition should understand that forming an alliance with the UDP is not a means of empowering Ousainu Darboe but a viable vehicle to rescue the country.”
Sanneh said the opposition should not be scared that Mr Darboe may betray them and Gambians just like President Barrow did.
“You cannot compare the two. If anyone compares the two, then you have missed the point because we have all seen what Barrow has done. Yes, it is true that Mr Barrow is from the UDP but sometimes you will have your children and some of them will develop an attitude that you don’t like. When we were selecting Barrow we had hoped that he will work with us to rescue the country but he ended up showing a different attitude totally unexpected. This is why today he sees us as his worst enemies.
“So I want to assure all Gambians that the UDP under the leadership of Ousainu Darboe will not be like Barrow. They will not even look alike because the UDP is prepared and ready to salvage this country. We have the human resources and expertise to do so.”
He said the party is open and committed to work with all the opposition.
“But if some parties choose to stand on their own, we will do our level best to ensure that we achieve victory in December,” he said.
Sanneh added that the UDP is incomparable to any opposition party in The Gambia.
“As we speak, we have about 15 National Assembly Members, mayors and chairpersons. So if you do not have even a single parliamentarian, mayor or chairperson you cannot claim parity with the UDP. If you do, you are fooling yourself but not the UDP,” Amadou Sanneh said.
He said those who are leading the process of forming a coalition should think critically.
