Jah who also serves as the deputy spokesperson of the party said they are working towards having one, cognizant of the party’s tradition of unveiling a standard bearer months before the elections.
Responding to a question on who is going to lead APRC in the upcoming elections, Jah said, “on the side of APRC we are yet to have a flagbearer (sic). We will have one, this is our belief, is what we are working on.”
Thoughts on who may be APRC’s standard bearer popped up among many Gambians amid United Democratic Part UDP leader lawyer Ousainou Darboe’s statement that only assassination will prevent him from running for office in the general elections.
This was further queried after the elective calendar of Citizens Alliance (CA) showed Political Science lecturer at the University of the Gambia Dr. Ismaila Ceesay as the standard bearer of the party.
It is only logical that people start asking questions about the standard bearer of the former ruling party that dominated politics in The Gambia for the past two decades and still remains a force to be reckoned with.
However, the party spokesperson Jah said, while they are working on who will lead the party in the presidential elections, they are cognizant of the party’s customs.
“But the tradition for the party is a few months before the elections, that's when we’ll unveil our flagbearer (sic).” He said: “It’s not a law, it's just a custom of the party.
He added: “We always don’t do it early, sometimes you show your flagbearer very early and your opponents could challenge a counter base on the people that you present. We feel there is too much time ahead for us to just unveil a flagbearer for now.”
Former President Yahya Jammeh who is still loved by the party militants would have been the obvious choice according to many.
But it is highly unlikely that he will contest in the 2021 presidential polls, sections of the population say.
Defence Counsel Lamin S. Camara, who is representing Yakumba Jaiteh and Yusupha Jaiteh, who are charged with assault and obstruction, had informed the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court before Principal Magistrate Isatou Janneh-Njie that the defence would file a no-case submission. The defence felt that the prosecution has not established a prima facie case against the accused persons to warrant them to open their defence.
Fatou Jaw Manneh has announced she wanted to run for presidency, but decided to shelve that idea for a later date, while calling on party leaders to remove President Adama Barrow following an alliance with the APRC.
I had known the late Badara Alieu Joof for more than 50 years.
