Niani NAM Confesses Sour Relations with Ex-NAM

Hon. Demba B.T. Sambou, the National Assembly Member for the Niani constituency has confessed sour relationship with his predecessor.
Sambou said after the election, he had approached Ebrima Manneh for reconciliation, but his overture was turned down.
Out of the 47 seats in country’s legislative house, Niani was one the five districts which the ruling APRC failed to grab in the country’s March-29 parliamentary elections.   
The provincial settlement who plunged into a controversy ahead of the polls dealt a blow to Ebrima Manneh’s re-election bid, and voted in Demba B.T. Sambou, an APRC sympathiser, who vied as an independent candidate.
“After the elections, I phoned Mr Manneh, but he warned me never to dial his number again,” Sambou told The Daily News in an exclusive interview.
“I was surprised because I see Mr Manneh as a mentor. We worked together at the MRC. Therefore, I want Mr. Manneh to see me as a brother and family, as we all hailed from the same village. Politics should not divide us. It is time for development and reconciliation. We all need to forget our political differences and focus on the development of our area to enhance the lives of our people.”
He continued: “I am appealing to him to join me because the electorate had rallied behind him during his tenure, and it will be wise for him to see himself as a role model. The people still have high regards for him. He was there before me and I will also leave the position for someone else.”
Still APRC
Sambou made his way into the parliament as an independent candidate. His opposition to the incumbent NAM did not endear him to his party, APRC, and was eventually expelled.
However, the former journalist, teacher and research assistant at MRC still considers himself as a supporter of the ruling APRC, noting that political loyalty of Niani has not changed.
“The people of Niani are APRC diehards. My candidature as an independent candidate came as a result of denying the people their choice. I am still loyal to APRC and would continue to do so. And Niani will remain loyal to the APRC and the president because they know that the president values them a lot,” he said
Sambou went on to highlight numerous APRC government-initiated development projects in that region, which ranged from the ongoing construction of the road linking Jakaba to Kayai, to pipe borne water projects in the various communities, as well as technical support from the Taiwanese Technical Mission team in The Gambia, in the area of agriculture.
He also commended President Jammeh for his Ramadan gifts to the people of his constituency.
“As a representative, I will continue to advocate for the development of the area at parliament,” Sambou said, pledging to prioritise children, youth and women issues in his endeavours.