From The Daily Observer

Friday, August 17, 2001

  SHERIFF DIBBA CLARIFIES ACCUSES UDP, PPP OF TREACHERY

by Ebrima Colley Head, Policital Desk

In the twists and turns on the road to State House, the intrigues of Gambian
politics continue to unfold with much air of unpredictability. Indeed, the
next several days or few weeks to come will certainly witness more political
drama unfolding as deals are made and broken behind the scenes. In the
latest turn of events, the leader of the former main opposition National
Convention Party (NCP), Mr Sheriff Mustapha Dibba, has cleared the fog
around his party's encounter with other parties in the opposition coalition.
Speaking to journalists at a press conference held at his house yesterday
morning, Mr Dibba said the purpose of the YMCA meeting was to adopt a
presidential candidate for the coalition in the forthcoming election.

He said Mr Assan Musa Camara had informed them that he would not contest the
presidential election and was not going to reactivate his party, (GPP) while
the PPP maintained that they would not contest the presidential but would
rather the National Assembly elections. The NCP, Mr Dibba added, would
contest both elections. He said Mr Assan Musa Camara's presence was merely
to chair the meeting but not to represent GPP. Mr Dibba further disclosed
that Omar A Jallow (OJ) and his colleagues in the PPP suggested that
Ousainou Darboe be the adopted candidate for the coalition of opposition
parties. "Somebody from the NCP suggested that Sheriff Dibba should be the
candidate of the coalition.

There was a stalemate. We could not agree," Mr Dibba disclosed. He further
stated that wrong information was given to the Observer to the effect that
the NCP had opted out of the coalition. "What I know was that we could not
agree on standard. The PDP leader was neutral. It was the PPP that suggested
that we adopt the UDP leader as our flagbearer. Assan Musa did not express
any preference for anybody during that meeting," Mr Dibba unveiled. He
revealed that at that juncture, there was a stalemate, the PPP and UDP told
him that they were going to hold a separate meeting in order to work out a
strategy. "And we all were in the same room. I said OK, 'we would give you
the opportunity and we left the room. That did not mean we opted out of the
coalition."

"When they expressed the desire to have a meeting of two parties, that would
have been very embarrassing for us to remain in the room. So, we decided to
leave for them to have their own separate meeting. When I was leaving the
room, I told Assan Musa that I hoped they were not going to meet the press
in our absence. He said, 'no! I'm not going to talk to any press member.' I
later read the Observer to see that the PPP, UDP, and GPP have adopted
Ousainou Darboe as their presidential candidate. I think there is an element
of treachery in the whole thing. They could have continued the dialogue but
they slammed the door on further dialogue," Mr Dibba charged. He alleged
that well before the meeting, the UDP had been sending messages across the
country with bundles of cola nuts to suggest to people that their leader had
already been selected as the presidential candidate of the coalition.

"They were going round the country to say that they were selected or would
be selected. So, it appears to us that the whole thing was
predetermined...prearranged...so they went to the meeting with the mind that
they were going to have Ousainou Darboe or nobody else," Mr Dibba disclosed.
He said NCP refrained from registration because they were waiting for the
end of the inter-party meeting. But since that has ended now, the NCP would
be registered "this week or next week to embark on nation-wide activity." He
said the people of Baddibu Central constituency whom he represented in
parliament would support the NCP, adding that they voted for the UDP in the
by-election in the absence of the NCP. "Tell me! Not in the Nianis anyway.
We think that we have an edge over the United Democratic Party even though
we have been banned for seven years.

Why is the PPP so keen to have the UDP leader as our adopted candidate? Only
the PPP suggested that at the meeting. Why is the PPP so keen to promote the
UDP... and we have been existing here for the past twenty-five years? No
party has ever struggled more than NCP in this country" Mr Dibba noted,
recalling his incarceration for eleven months after the 1981 aborted coup.
He said in case a second round of voting comes, his party's strategy would
be geared towards supporting an opposition front for an opposition victory.
He described the YMCA meeting as one that "is not an all-inclusive meeting,"
questioning why his colleagues should exclude others. Mr Dibba said the
present coalition comprised only PPP and UDP. He said the NCP had support
countrywide and Bakau and Baddibu were not their only strong holds. In a
related development, former NCP parliamentarian for Lower Baddibu, Majanko
Samusa, former NCP candidate for Wuli, Mr Al-Hamdou Conteh, Abdourahman T
Njie of Banjul, Gibou Jagne and Badara Sidibeh whom Mr Dibba said were
rallying behind UDP after NCP was banned have all come back to NCP and were
now members of its executive. They were even present at the press
conference.





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