By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh
The Chairman of the Brikama Area Council (BAC), Yankuba Darboe, has rejected the councillorship nomination of Baboucarr Sambou, who was nominated by the West Coast Region Youth Committee over supposed ‘fears’ he would oppose his ideas and plans.
According to a source close to the Council, the Chairman is planning to impose another young person, believed to be a United Democratic Party supporter and a leader in their party’s Youth Wing in the position, or the youth risk losing representation in the council.
Yesterday, July 24, several youth leaders in the region expressed their concerns and worries regarding the whole process when a group of young people paid a courtesy call to the chairman’s office and informed him of their plans to organize a youth summer camp.
A youth leader, who requested anonymity, said that Chairman Darboe firmly told them that unless the youths agree with his nomination, the region would not have a youth representative in the Brikama Area Council.
A youth leader present at the meeting in the chairman’s office shared that the chairman is resolute and will not discuss the matter further with the youth leaders.
“After he has failed in his efforts to impose his candidate for us to accept, he angrily went on to say that he doesn’t need any youth rep at the council. He asserted that there is no need to engage him in the subject because he had made up his mind,” an insider revealed to The Fatu Network.
This medium reached out to the chairman of the West Coast Region Youth Committee, Lamin Sanneh for further inquiry and he confirmed that indeed, there is a disagreement between Chairman Yankuba Darboe and the youths of the West Coast over youth representation in the council.
Who Does Yankuba Want As Youth Councilor?
The Fatu Network made several attempts to interview Yankuba Darboe, but as has been the case, he avoided speaking to this medium. However, a source close to him revealed to TFN who Darboe chose and why.
“Darboe has already selected Binta Senghore, the Deputy Youth President of the United Democratic Party. As long as Yankuba is the chairman, he will ensure that UDP members are honest in the opportunity to hold positions in the Council. He made this clear to the West Coast Youth Committee, but they thought it was just a word,” the source revealed to this medium.
Yankuba has reportedly explained that the UDP youth wing, where Binta Senghore is, is an independent group from the UDP regional group.
It is not apparent why Yankuba Darboe rejected the nomination of Baboucarr Sambou. Some claim he does not trust Sambou to support his agenda, while others believe that Sambou is over 35 years old, which supposedly disqualifies him from holding the position. According to a source close to the Chairman’s office, Yankuba prefers a female nominee from the UDP party.
The Fatu Network will continue to make efforts to speak to Yankuba Darboe.
