Written by DO
Friday, 30 September 2005


Hamat Bah of the National Alliance for Democracy and Development, Nadd, was yesterday rejected by the people of Upper Saloum in the by-election conducted in four constituencies across the country. But his other three colleagues, Halifa Sallah, Sidia Jatta and Kemeseng Jammeh were returned to the National Assembly.

In Jarra West Constituency, Kemeseng Jammeh swept the polls with 3444 votes, while his rival garnered 2974, winning with a margin of 470 votes.
 In Wuli West, former holder Sidia Jatta polled 3430, while his APRC opponent Janko Jawneh scored 2659 votes. Jatta won with a margin of 771 votes. This is the second time Sidia has got the better of Jawneh.
The last to be elected on the opposition Nadd’s ticket is Halifa Sallh of Serrekunda Central with a total vote of 5,911, winningwith a margin of 1927 as his opponent Lai Sanyang polled 3,984.
Yesterday’s historic elections came in the wake of a supreme court decision declaring the four seats vacant following the dual party membership of the former Nams.
The defeat of Hamat Bah, one of the arch critics of the APRC in the National Assembly, is seen by most observers as a severe blow to the efforts of the opposition Nadd to unseat the APRC. The new political party may find it hard to replace such an outspoken politician. It is for this reason that the APRC is wallowing in jubilation, even though they finished 1-3.  “The four seats were all opposition strongholds and the fact that we managed to win the big fish himself, speaks for itself,’’ said an APRC supporter.


Kemeseng Jammeh.
Jarra West


“ I told my opponent Musa Saidykhan that he was fighting a lost battle, but he did not take heed [to  my advice]. I do not hate him but the party he (Musa) belongs to is a wrong direction for him. Victory will always be mine in Jarra West.”

Sainey Mbye  - Upper Saloum
  “ I am so happy that I am short of words. The election is free and fair and this time around, the people of Upper Saloum have shifted their support to the APRC. I will do something about the health condition of the people of Upper Saloum.”

Hamat Bah  - Upper Saloum


“I have to say that some of my supporters were arrested, including two pregnant women who were detained at Kaur while others were detained in Njau.”
 But Mustapha Carayol, the IEC returning officer in Janjanbureh, confirmed that the election was free and fair. He said it was devoid of any form of intimidation.

Sidia Jatta.  Wuli West
“The people have made their verdict against the judgement of the judges. People here are politically aware and can efficiently make their choice. The political education has borne fruits, as can be seen in the increased margin we have recorded.”

Janko  Jawneh . Wuli West


“I believe in the principle that if you compete, you either succeed or fail. My failure can be attributed to many factors not because of the fact that APRC is not popular or not doing its duty to improve the living condition of the people.”





Last Updated ( Friday, 30 September 2005 )


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