Members
of Tabital Pulaagu International who are drawn from Gambia, Mali, Senegal,
Cameroon, Libya and Burkina Faso have condemned the visit of some of their
Gambian members to President Adama Barrow at Statehouse.
Representatives
of the five countries met at Sinchu Kayel in the Central River Region to
respond to the growing concern raised by Fulas around the continent on the
decision taken by the Gambian Association’s president Seedy Dem, to meet the
President.
The
members also said they didn’t recognize Seedy Dem as the leader of the Gambia
chapter.
Momodou
Kandeh, the person who the association recognise as President of The Gambia
Chapter, said President Adama Barrow should avoid interfering with the affairs
of the group. He said the group was established to promote the Fulani culture
and has nothing to do with politics.
Mr Kandeh also gave history of how he was single handedly picked by the International group as President through the support of Buba Baldeh.
According to him, President Barrow himself knew very well that he is the President of the group, saying he presented the papers that were given to him by the group to former President Jammeh at the time but Jammeh told him he was not going to allow the group to have a chapter in the country.
“I
presented the same papers to President Barrow myself when he was elected and
informed him of our plans to establish the group in the country and he gave us
his blessing and D10, 000. D5000 for his registration and the other D5000 for
fares of some of our members who came from afar,” he added.
Mr
Kandeh said he is still the President of the group, arguing that the congress
that elected Seedy Dem as President was not recommended by Tabital Pulaagu
International. He said the group that Mr Dem is leading has no connection with
Tabital Pulaagu International.
Kandeh
disclosed that Buba Baldeh was among the first driving forces that helped
spread the association in The Gambia.
The
association’s ambassador in Tripoli, Musa Jallow said he was shocked when he
heard Seedy Dem was planning to lead a Fula delegation to the Statehouse to
meet President Barrow on behalf of Tabital Pulaagu, because they only recognize
Momodou Kandeh as the leader of the Gambian chapter.
The
representative of the President at the meeting, Maimuna Baldeh thanked the
members of the group for their clarification on the leadership of the group.
She
told the meeting that it was Seedy Dem who went to Statehouse to inform
President Barrow that the association wanted to give him their support, saying
that the meeting was never invented by the Gambian leader.
Madam
Baldeh recalled that President Barrow gave Tobaski ram to Momodou Kandeh last
Tobaski as the President of Tabital Pulaagu.
She
said if Barrow had known Seedy Dem was going to divide the Fulas, he would not
have accepted his suggestion.
