In an interview with The Point over the weekend, Mr. Njie claimed that UDP had had gone through much harder moments than an individual defection, citing the arrests of its youth leaders and the key members of its executives and jailed them for three years.
“So we have witnessed all these moments and yet in 2016, we were able to remove a dictator who ruled for 22 years,” he said.
Mr. Njie added that UDP as a party would not say anything bad Momodou Sabally but just to thank him as Sabally himself did not say anything against the UDP. “He just thanked the entire party executive and general members for the time he spent with them in the party, that is okay,” he said.
"So to people who are saying that Sabally’s joining of the National People's Party (NPP) would shake the UDP; and that he may reveal the secret information about UDP, let me make it clear that UDP is not the type of party where everyone would know all the secrets of that party," he said.
Mr. Njie made an analogy of Sabally’s defection to late Lamin Waa Juwara’s, who he said was more “powerful and famous” than Sabally. He, however, added when Juwara left the party, it did not shake the UDP “because the supporters of the UDP are very loyal to the party. They just continued with the work they are still doing for the party in the best interest of the country.”
Njie pointed out that UDP made Sabally famous after the change of government. “So when people are saying that some UDP supporters will follow Sabally to NPP; that is a misconception. “No UDP supporter will follow Sabally to NPP because the supporters of the UDP are loyal to the party.”
“Sabally does not have anything to say against UDP because he left the party in his own desire. He did not fight with anybody; he just felt like leaving and he did it.”
“We will pray for him in his future endeavours at the NPP while we also continue to build our party. I know we are stronger today than ever and that will continue.”
