#Sports

Kamaso says he’ll not congratulate someone who flouted the constitution

Sep 1, 2022, 10:56 AM | Article By: Arfang M.S. Camara

Sadibou Kamaso, leader of Team Restore Confidence has said that he did not congratulate The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) president-elect Lamin Kaba Bajo after his re-election on Saturday because he flouted the Federation’s Constitution.

Mr. Kamaso was defeated 51 to 25 votes by Bajo out of 77 votes casted by football stakeholders. There was only one invalid vote announced by the Electoral Committee.

“Well, I do not have to congratulate someone who has actually flouted all the rules of the constitution in terms of the electoral process,” he said, while responding to questions as to why he did not congratulate Kaba Bajo on his re-election as GFF president.

Kamaso questioned the amendment of the constitution on the day of the election, arguing that they should have been told (the opposing camp) earlier that they were going to amend the constitution for a 4th vice president position to be added to the executive so that they could file and bring in a candidate for that position.

“We did not have a candidate for that position. Kaba was the incumbent and had all the powers. He also brought two other female members. We did not have those because we could not have done so as it was not in the constitution,” he said while describing the act as “irregularity.”

Mr. Kamaso also questioned Kaba’s decision to gather delegates at a hotel during the eve of the election.

“We all know what happened at Metzy Hotel. There is certain information we cannot discuss here. The stakeholders usually camp at the football hotel and not Metzy.”

He also explained why he was stopped outside during the amendment of the constitution on the day of the election.

“I, as a delegate, was not allowed to enter during the extra-ordinary general assembly because they knew I was going to expose most of those things. They asked the police to stop me, citing that the chairman of the Electoral Committee said ‘I cannot go in.”

“The Electoral Committee chairman has no role in the extra-ordinary AGM. His role starts when the election proper starts.”

“I made a series of complaints and protests to the chairman of the Electoral Committee who I believed was working together with them (Team Kaba). The other thing is the Electoral Committee is housed in GFF House.”

“There was a time when I went to collect forms and told the director of Communications (Baboucarr Camara) that I was not there on behalf of Hawks FC. It was even discussed during a Hawks meeting that I did not collect forms on behalf of them. The list of delegates was always shared with Team Kaba. So, they had the advantage.”

According to him, what could have been a free and fair election was for the Electoral Committee to be independent, adding that he wrote many protests which among them “is asking the General Secretary to requisite himself from the electoral committee because he is part of GFF and was supporting the incumbent.”

Meanwhile, Kamaso said they would sit as a team to either come up with a petition or protest against things that happened before the election.