By Isatou Sarr
Leader of the All People’s Party-Sobeyaa (APP-Sobeyaa), Essa Mbye Faal, has declared President Adama Barrow the winner of The Gambia’s Dec. 5 presidential election, more than two months before voters go to the polls.
Faal made the declaration Sunday at State House in Banjul after formally signing an alliance agreement with Barrow’s ruling National People’s Party (NPP).
“The election is over and is dead and buried. I’m no more thinking about the election because Adama Barrow has already won the election,” Faal told supporters and political stakeholders at the ceremony.
Faal, who had been preparing to contest the presidential election and had repeatedly criticised the Barrow administration, said his focus had now shifted from the electoral contest to working with the president to advance national development.
“What we are thinking about now is what will take the country forward,” he said.
The alliance marks a major change in Faal’s political position. He challenged Barrow as an independent candidate in the 2021 presidential election before subsequently becoming leader of APP-Sobeyaa. The 2021 election was won by Barrow, while Faal received about two percent of the vote.
Faal also confirmed that he would no longer seek the presidency in December, acknowledging that the decision had disappointed some of his supporters.
“I feel your pain because you were having hope on something, but that did not happen,” he said.
He attributed his decision to what he described as the political circumstances facing the country and appealed to supporters to understand and accept his position.
Faal also rejected allegations that he had joined the NPP-led alliance in exchange for money or a government appointment.
“God knows I did not ask for any position in joining the ruling party alliance. I did not join to get a position,” he said.
He denied allegations that Barrow had given him US$10 million to join the alliance, saying he had not received any money for his decision. He said the expenses for Sunday’s ceremony were jointly covered by himself, APP-Sobeyaa and the NPP-led alliance.
Faal said he remained prepared to serve the country in whatever capacity he might be called upon to do so, citing his previous service as lead counsel of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission.
“I will take whatever I am offered, and wherever I am invited to work for the country, I will work there,” he said.
He said his decision was based on what he considered the national interest rather than personal gain.
Faal also sought to explain his previous criticism of Barrow, saying it had been motivated by his responsibilities as an opposition politician rather than personal animosity.
“I criticised President Barrow because it was my responsibility as opposition, not because I hate him,” he said.
He said political opponents had a responsibility to speak out when they believed government policies or actions were not in the national interest, adding that political disagreements should not prevent leaders from working together.
“President Barrow has seen that I am someone who wants to be president, but I have now left it to him and will work alongside him to develop The Gambia,” Faal said.
He said the alliance represented an opportunity for former political rivals to put aside their differences and work towards what they considered common national objectives.
Faal’s decision, however, has exposed divisions within APP-Sobeyaa.
A group of founding members and senior party officials has rejected the alliance and called for Faal’s resignation, arguing that the decision was not taken in accordance with the party’s internal procedures.
The dissenting group said it did not recognise the alliance and accused Faal of committing the party to the arrangement without the approval of Congress.
The terms of the agreement between APP-Sobeyaa and the NPP have not been publicly disclosed. The two sides had announced an agreement in principle on Sept. 22, saying consultations were continuing before the formalisation of the alliance.
Faal’s declaration that Barrow has already won the December election is a political assertion made before the election has taken place. The presidential poll is scheduled for Dec. 5.
The formal alliance brings Faal, a former presidential challenger and longstanding critic of Barrow, into the president’s political camp ahead of the election.