Written by Ebrima Jaw Manneh



Sunday, 02 October 2005


Both the APRC and Nadd have claimed successes in the September 29 by-elections conducted in Upper Saloum, Wuli West, Jarra West and Serrekunda Central.
Commenting on the by-elections, Yankuba Touray, national mobiliser of the ruling APRC, said the results are very promising for the  APRC. “It is good. The fact that we were able to capture one of the seats is a major blow to Nadd. This shows that the APRC is popular among Gambians. And we thank them for their support and appreciation of the party,” he said.

The Agriculture secretary disclosed that their achievement was the result of their good political strategy and the development projects of President Jammeh.
Asked about Hamat Bah’s allegations that the APRC won the Upper Saloum seat because they intimidated and frightened the electorate, Mr Touray said: “I think the IEC was aware of what happened there. They said the elections were free and fair.”

Pressed to comment on the reasons for APRC’s defeat in the rest of the constiuencies, the APRC strategist said: “You have to consider certain things.These are opposition strongholds. We have taken one of their seats. Nadd was formed by differrent political parties and the supporters of the various parties voted for Halifa and other candidates.”

However, SoS Touray said the APRC will take time to screen their candidates in future elections, especially in Serrekunda Central Constituency.

Nadd
Like SoS Touray, Omar Jallow, OJ, an executive member of Nadd, claimed that the electoral results reflected favourably on the popularity and acceptance of Nadd by the electorate. Justifying his claims, OJ said: “Generally, it is a gain for Nadd, because we won three seats, which is a resounding victory. Additionally we won the  popular vote too. Nadd received nearly 2000 votes more than the APRC in the total votes cast.’’ According to him, Hamat Bah’s defeat was caused by a multiple of factors.  He blamed what he called“ a hostile political climate created by the APRC in their desperation to win the seat by all means.”

“The election in Upper Saloum was characterised by intimidation, seizure of voter’s cards of Nadd supporters, arrest of militants, sacking of alkalolu and the illegal transfer of voters. All these affected the way people voted in Upper Saloum,” he said.

Last Updated ( Sunday, 02 October 2005 )



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