UDP’s spokesperson for the North Bank Region Karamo Njie has opined that President Adama Barrow’s actions and inactions have been responsible for former President Jammeh’s latest utterances about his “unstoppable” return to The Gambia from exile.
Mr. Jammeh addressed his supporters in Kanilai on Sunday, assuring them that he will be travelling to The Gambia next month effectively ending his eight-year exile. Jammeh boasted that he would come to The Gambia whether anyone likes it or not, adding that President Barrow cannot bar him from returning to the country. He suggested that anyone who stands in his way at the Banjul International Airport will know “who will run”.
“Let’s see who will run,” Jammeh said as he talked about his supposed arrival next month.
But in an interview with JollofNews, the UDP’s regional spokesperson argued that Barrow’s move to court Yahya Jammeh and his allies, failure to usher in a new constitution and the slow implementation of the TRRC recommendations have all emboldened Jammeh to say what he said around his “return”.
“Barrow went all the way to Kanilai to meet Jammeh’s family all because of his political survival,” he contended. He continued:”Barrow is also relying on Jammeh’s constitution.”
Njie also contended that President Barrow has demonstrated to Jammeh that he would be lost in political wilderness without the erstwhile president and his allies.
“This has given Jammeh the impression that without the APRC, the NPP will be politically irrelevant. House Speaker APRC’s Fabakary Tombong Jatta and his deputy Seedy Njie are all manning key positions in the Barrow administration. Barrow has shown Jammeh that he is heavily reliant on the APRC for his political growth and longevity,” he stated.
Njie also argued that”had the government implemented the recommendations of the TRRC, Jammeh would have been elsewhere miles from where he speaks from.
“Most of the recommendations have not been fully implemented. Had the government shown “seriousness” in their implementation, Jammeh would have been preoccupied, thinking about his fate”, said Njie.
