Up to the time we went to press last night, the UDP selection committee has been busy interviewing applicants seeking the party’s endorsement to contest the 9th April National Assembly election.
The five-member committee conducted the interviews at the party’s bureau in Manjai Kunda.
The party announced that it will contest all the 53 parliamentary seats in the country but retain its 22 incumbent members subject to their expression of interest to contest. The selection committee is examining aspirants for the 31 remaining seats.
Over the past two days, there have been a raft of news leaks about UDP selecting and confirming candidates. It was reported that Momodou Sabally has been endorsed to contest the Busumbala seat, Momodou Cham for Nianija, Halimatou Sowe for Lower Saloum, Tida Kijera for Wuli West, Fatoumata Juwara for Wuli East and Hagie Suwaneh for Basse. It was also reported that Numu Kunda Kanyi will likely replace Sanna Jawara, who has been in the US since the December presidential election, for Upper Fulladu West. UK-based Aboubakarr Nimaga Ceesay’s name has been floated for the Sanementereng seat.
A UDP insider told The Standard last night that most of the selection for aspirants from Banjul, Kanifing municipality, West Coast, Central River, Lower River, North Bank and Upper River regions have been completed.
However, a member of the selection committee and a senior executive member of the party told this paper that the process of selecting candidates has not been completed because his committee will have to present its list to the executive for confirmation and formal endorsement. “So it is premature to state who has been endorsed or confirmed,” he cautioned.
The party is expected to formally announced its selected candidates over the independence holiday weekend.
In an unrelated development, Yerro Mballow has confirmed to The Standard that he will contest the Upper Fulladu West constituency on behalf of the National Unity Party. Mballow is a former reporter of The Point newspaper.
