By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh
Ahmad Gitteh, a founding member and stalwart of the ruling National People’s Party (NPP), has said the party will not pick Dr. Ismaila Ceesay over him for the Brikama Area Council (BAC) chairmanship next year.
When the party leader of the Citezens’ Alliance (CA), Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, announced that the party has joined the NPP, many political commentators started predicting that the senior political science lecturer at the University of the Gambia may be picked by the ruling NPP for the Brikama Area Council Charimanship despite Ahmad Gitteh’s public longing to use the party’s ticket to contest for the Brikama Area Council chairmanship in next year’s local government elections. Gitteh, sounding so optimistic, says he doesn’t think NPP will pick Dr. Ceesay over him because he is NPP.
“NPP will not do that. They won’t. I can assure you that they won’t. I am NPP,” he emphasised.
Gitteh lauded the alliance but doesn’t believe part of the alliance is for Dr. Ceesay to rival him over the party’s choice to run for Brikama Area Council chairmanship.
“What I can say is for certain that Ceesay came in and he is into alliance with NPP but whether the party is going to present him as a candidate in Brikama – I don’t think so. I don’t think that is what is in the agreement. That is not something I believe,” he pointed out.
He said he has no reason to be threatened by the alliance regarding his desire to contest under the NPP banner for the local government election.
According to Gitteh, he doesn’t think there is anything like Dr. Ceesay to contest for the position he is yearning for even though he doesn’t have access to the agreement between CA and NPP.
“I have great respect for my brother Dr. Ceesay and great respect for my party for doing a great job to have Dr. Ceesay on board. But, if there is anything in the agreement, I don’t think there is anything that has to do with Brikama Area Council,” Gitteh asserted.
According to him, political commentators are only making a prediction about the local government election.
It is still not clear whether the NPP will approved Ahmad Gitteh’s candidacy next year. However, Gitteh has repeatedly revealed that NPP will endorse his candidacy.
Last Saturday, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay and some senior party members of CA, visited President Barrow at the State House in Banjul, after which the political science lecturer revealed to the press that his party has formed an alliance with the ruling party for the interest of for country.
