By: Alieu Jallow
Seedy Njie, Deputy Speaker and Deputy Spokesperson of the National People’s Party, testified as Prosecution Witness 1, telling the court that he never granted an interview to Musa Sheriff, the Managing Editor of The Voice Newspaper.
Njie stated that as the spokesperson for the NPP, he is responsible for disseminating accurate and reliable information on behalf of the party. He emphasized that any information not coming from him or the spokesperson Lamin Queen Jammeh is “utterly false, speculative, and garbage.”
When asked by Commissioner A. Sanneh, appearing for the IGP, if he recalled the events of September 22, 2024, Njie affirmed, recalling the date and specifying the hours between 5 and 6 pm when the first accused, Musa Sheriff, placed a phone call to him. Sheriff mentioned having “hot news on the desk” that he wished to verify before publication, claiming he had reliable information from two NPP executive members that the President had finalized plans to make Muhammeh Jah the party’s flagbearer. Sheriff sought Njie’s confirmation of the story.
“I told him that I would not grant him any interview and requested that he disclose the names of the two executive members,” Njie told the court.
Njie further testified that he informed Sheriff the purported news was inaccurate, noting that the President had announced his intention to contest in the next election just a fortnight prior.
“I said, ‘Mr. Sheriff, I am not granting you an interview, and if you don’t want to create disunity and spread false information, you cannot publish that.’ I reiterated multiple times that I was not granting him an interview.”
Njie also claimed that Sheriff did not disclose the names of the alleged NPP executives, prompting him to reiterate his refusal to grant an interview. Sheriff reportedly promised to consult his news desk before proceeding.
The Deputy Spokesperson stated that he warned Sheriff of the potential harm the story could cause, saying it would be injurious to the President and the state, and would result in false publication. Nevertheless, Njie expressed shock and disappointment upon seeing the publication in The Voice Newspaper with the headline: “Barrow Chooses Muhammed Jah as Successor as President Works on Exit Plan – Sources.”
“Everyone who reached out to me—from party leadership to grassroots members—was shocked and confused because the executive had never held any meeting about succession or flagbearer matters. There was pandemonium among the high command and rank-and-file members,” Njie recounted.
He emphasized that the party held no meeting to discuss matters of succession before September 22, 2024. He added that the publication created disunity, confusion, mistrust, and pandemonium within the party. He placed a call to express his disappointment to the author of the story, reiterating that he had never granted an interview.
The case was adjourned to Tuesday, December 10, 2024, at 10:30 am for cross-examination of Prosecution Witness 1.
