Kebba Ansu Manneh
Former Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh has declared taking full leadership of the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), the party he established in 1996.
Jammeh, who was defeated in a popular vote on December 2, 2016 and was forced out of office with the support of the regional body ECOWAS without handing over to his successor President Adama Barrow made the declaration on Friday to his support in his home town Kanilai.
It could be recalled that the party leaders who has been managing the affairs of the part for past four years, last month declared that the former ruling has signed an memorandum of understanding (MOU) of alliance with the new National People’s Party (NPP) for the December 4, presidential. Copy of the MoU is yet to be made available to the public or the media.
Ex-President Jammeh distance himself from the agreement and declaring his party support to National Unity (GANU) Party, led by his former Justice Minister Shiekh Tijan Hydara.
“As from today I want to take the full leadership of the party as stated in the Constitution of the APRC. I am the supreme leader, am the flagbearer and am the party Chairman and I want to make this very clear, “former President Yahya Jammeh disclosed to jubilant crowd gathered in Kanilai.
He added: “My long silence is made to accord me with the opportunity to scale the chaffs from the nuts and allowed those with selfish desires to expose them and I think we all know them now.”
Former president Jammeh continued to denounce the existing alliance between the APRC/NPP, disclosing that the people who engaged in such alliance formation never gets neither his blessings nor his consent before going into such alliance.
“The executives that have decided to leave the party and joined other parties, I have no problem with that but their names will be replaced by the following peoples; Hon. Abdou Jarju, Hon. Bakary Saibo Sanneh, Hon.Muhammed Lamin Jammeh, Hon. Jerending Sanyang, Ebou Sambou, Hon. Omar Mambureh, Pa Modou Mbow, Regianna Williams and Habib Secka,” Former President Yahya Jammeh disclosed.
The former President further disclosed that the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction will not formed any alliance with any political party that has destroyed all what the APRC has done for the country within four years, adding that it will be insane for the APRC to go into an alliance with a party that is out to destroy the country.
“As from now, APRC is in alliance with the Gambia Alliance for National (GANU). This is the party that we shared with the same aims and objectives i.e. to stand for the unity, progress and development of the country,” Yahya Jammeh confirmed APRC/GANU alliance ahead of December Presidential election.
He used the occasion to thank all APRC party militants and supporters both home and in Diaspora for standing by him in thick and thin, while appealing to all Gambians in all political divides to desists from insults and character assassinations during the electioneering period.
In his reaction shortly after the supreme decision of Yahya Jammeh, Fabakary Tombong Jatta, Interim leader of APRC said since the former leader went into exile the executives have been working tirelessly working in the best interest of Yahya Jammeh and the APRC and for the interest of the Gambian people.
“What we want to say is that APRC is still APRC, what we heard is for them to join GANU and what is certain is that any APRC member can leave the party and join to parties. What is also undisputed and very clear is that today we are in charge of APRC,” FJT countered Jammeh’s pronouncement.
He added: “What is also clear is that between us and God and if you see we are still in APRC is our honourable voices that we have given. The path we took no human being can derail us from cruising except for Allah.” APRC Interim Party Leader continued to calls on all party militants to disregard Yahya Jammeh’s pronouncement adding that the current executives will continued to work in the best interest of the party till next congress when the party militants can decides.
“What I want to tell the people is that APRC is not own by any individual, APRC belongs to The Gambia. We will continue to serve our term until we get replaced by others who will also be replaced in the future by other Gambians,” FJT affirmed.
He added: “We have also heard that a new committee has been selected but what I want to make it clear that this committee is not an APRC committee. I think some of Jammeh’s allays who had left us will now go and rallied behind GANU or they become independent but APRC I don’t know of tomorrow but today we are in control of APRC.”
