Defeated NAM Tells Incumbent to Resign If …

The recently-defeated National Assembly Member for provincial Niani constituency has told the incumbent parliamentarian to resign if he can’t handle his post.

“Did President Jammeh fall back on his predecessor after taking over? No! So, if Demba knows he can’t handle the position, let him resign, and not fall back on me for help,” Ebrima Manneh told The Daily News.

“I expect him to talk in the House about Niani. That is better than wasting his time talking in the media about me. I am an APRC supporter, I have nothing to do with the independent.”

Ebrima Manneh and Demba B.T. Sambou worked together at the MRC. In fact, both hailed from the same historical village of Wassu and were close allies until recently, when but things fell apart between them.

This was when Demba challenged Manneh for the Niani seat in the country’s March-29 parliamentary elections and denied Manneh a reelection.

Last week Demba admitted that his relationship with Manneh was sour. He told this paper that he had phoned Manneh to extend a hand of renewed friendship, but the latter had turned down his overture, and warned him never again to dial his number.

In his reaction, Manneh said: “To be candid, we had a close relationship. I never had any grudge against him. When he phoned me, I asked who was on the line, and he identified himself. I told him why are you calling me and he said ‘I want to thank you’. I said thank me for what, for defeating me…”

According to him, he reacted that way not because he was annoyed by the defeat, but, as he alleged, Demba was an informant.

“Anything, I tell him will be in the online papers,” Manneh alleged. “He works with the people in Diaspora, who sponsored his campaign. These are those Nianinkas who are anti government. They absconded after embezzling pubic funds.

“Demba knew that he cant bring development to the area. That is why he wants to fall back on me. But if can’t handle the job, let him resign.

“I had served my tenure. During my time, I negotiated with the water resources department for the construction of twelve boreholes. When I met with Mr Bouye, permanent secretary of basic education ministry, I raised the issue of having a senior secondary school in that area. The following year, we had one. We also had the Taiwan rice project, and a mosque, all but thanks to my efforts. I created employment for over one hundred youth.

“Still now, people call me to help and I do. The Niani seat is empty, let him resign if he can’t, not to fall back on me,” he noted.

And contrary to Demba’s claim that he was a ruling APRC sympathiser, Manneh said Demba was never an APRC supporter.

He quizzed: “How can you claim to be APRC when you are conniving with people outside The Gambia who are anti government? You went against the decision of APRC and you call yourself APRC.”

The former Niani NAM admitted that, come next parliamentary election, he would contest for his lost seat, if APRC allows him to.