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‘UDP is only party to wipe out current mess’

Dec 20, 2023, 11:45 AM | Article By: Ismaila Sonko

Aji Yam Secka, the deputy party leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP) has called on women folk to rally behind UDP as it is the “only party to wipe out the current mess” by President Adama Barrow’s government.

Addressing a rally in Farafenni over the weekend, Aji Yam Secka called on the women of the North Bank Region (NBR) and the country at large to rally behind the UDP and vote for lawyer Ousainu Darboe in the 2026 presidential elections.

“UDP is the only political party that can bring proper reforms in the country and wipe out all the mess caused by President Adama Barrow and its executive,” she told a cheering crowd.

She added that the UDP is the solution for the Gambia and is the only party that can rescue the country from the destruction caused by Adama Barrow.

According to her, President Barrow was angered by her statement at Banjulinding that “it is time the people pay back Ousainu Darboe by electing him after Adama Barrow’s three years.”

 

"From that moment, Adama Barrow got angry with me,” she said.

She said it was the leftover of the Coalition 2016 money that was used to sponsor candidates of all parties in the coalition and not those of UDP alone.

Madam Secka revealed that for President Barrow to claim that he sponsored the election of UDP mayors and National Assembly members in 2017 and 2018 is baseless, adding that Barrow had no money at the time to sponsor UDP candidates.

She indicated that UDP got more money from that budget because it was the biggest party with more candidates than the rest of the coalition parties contesting in those National Assembly and mayoral elections.

“So, to say that he personally sponsored the UDP candidates is baseless,” the UDP deputy leader said.

According to Madam Secka, President Barrow should at least give credit to the UDP and asked who sponsored his candidature and campaign in Jimara when he contested for parliament.

“Again, was it not the coalition that paid for your nomination deposit as presidential candidate in 2016?” she asked.

“Adama, you must always remember and never forget that it was UDP that prepared you and you must be grateful and thank the party,” she stressed.

She said the current demolition of shops and other structures around highways could have been avoided if the government through Physical Planning enforces the law banning such constructions.

“I am asking the National Road Authority and Physical Planning to explain where they were when businessmen and women were building their shops on the highway,” she said.

The UDP No. 2 also blasted a current serving Cabinet minister for “not contributing any single butut” during the coalition 2016 campaign and is currently making all the noise at the moment. According to her, this particular minister was absent for the most part of 2016 and only surfaced at a Sukuta meeting.