#Headlines

'I was among those that campaigned for draft constitution’s failure'

Mar 11, 2022, 1:26 PM | Article By: Ali Jaw

One of the main leaders of the APRC and former mayor of the Kanifing Municipality Council (KMC) and national mobiliser for the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Reconstruction (APRC) has revealed that he had campaigned against the passing of the draft constitution on the grounds that it did not reflect the voice of the ordinary Gambian.

Yankuba Colley was speaking to journalists on Saturday at the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) Kanifing Office after the nomination of two APRC candidates: Sheriff Sarr and Sulayman Jammeh.

The former is contesting for New Jeshwang and the latter for Bundung Ka Kunda.

When asked by this reporter whether he had any regret for the National Assembly that had served under the Barrow government, he replied he has no regret. However, he added that there were bills that were passed through the Assembly that he liked and others he didn't.

"But the first thing is the constitution that was brought in. I was part of the people who were campaigning for it not to be passed completely, because it is not a good constitution, and it does not depict the Gambian life."

He added that he was in contact with many National Assembly Members (NAMs) to ensure that the draft constitution is rejected as the country's supreme law. He, however, declined to share the names of the NAMs in question with the press.

He also expressed his confidence that APRC parliamentary contestants in the Kanifing Municipality would win, arguing that Kanifing is APRC stronghold.

He added that APRC contenders winning the coming election in their respective constituencies would be another milestone for the party, hinting that in future parliamentary elections, APRC would present more candidates, saying "Every journey starts with a step."

He assured that APRC would soon stand tall among parties in the country.