By Lamin Njie, in Bwiam
Fabakary Tombong Jatta has said that the APRC doesn’t want Gambians to be misled with regard to the coalition’s memorandum of understanding.
In 2016, seven political parties came together to form a united front to take on President Yahya Jammeh in the December presidential election. The alliance was brought about after the parties agreed that anyone they choose as their leader would contest as an independent candidate and serve for only three years. The parties are now at loggerheads over the deal.
Speaking at the APRC’s national congress in Bwiam on Saturday, Mr Jatta who is the interim leader of the party said “the coalition team now looks to be in fragments with some of its composing political parties no longer seeing eye to eye.”
He said: “The coalition has now completely disintegrated. Some key figures who were engaged as the voice of the coalition no longer believe or trust in the coalition administration and do not form part of the executive now. The reshuffle of the cabinet is a clear indication to an Adama Barrow-controlled government.
“This was confirmed in a speech where he addressed the press stating that he does not need anyone or any political party in completing his five-year term mandate as stipulated in the constitution. This goes against the Memorandum of Understanding which stipulates a three-year term and we as a party… Yes the constitution talks about five year term, a limit of five years.
“But we don’t want Gambians to be misled. It does not mean that when you are elected you cannot serve less than five years. President Adama Barrow can resign today. It’s not in violation of the constitution. So what we are saying is… Nobody forced them. They said to Gambians, ‘we are coming for three years, at the end of three years we are going to elections.’
“Then we were not in agreement with them. They told Gambians. That’s why you see us taking the back seat a little bit. But what we do know is it’s no escape to say the constitution says five years. The constitution says five years but it does not say you cannot leave before five years. If he says he is going for three years, it’s constitutional. He can go away and we go into elections.”
