Barely 72 hours after the defection of Ousman Jatta, alias Rombo, a UDP political heavyweight in Bakau to the ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), another UDP stalwart has also joined the APRC caravan.   

The latest defector is Ismaila Gitteh, UDP youth mobiliser in the Serrekunda Central constituency, and candidate for the London Corner Ward in the local government election.  He announced his defection to the APRC yesterday at the office of the lord mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) Yankuba Colley, who doubles as the national mobiliser of the APRC. 

Gitteh told the Daily Observer that he decided to join the ruling party out of his own conviction, and for the development of the country. He went on to state that even though he was among those who have been opposing the APRC government, the numerous developments brought about by the party is enough justification to anybody who knows the truth and wants to follow it that APRC is fulfilling its obligations to the people and there is no ground for any genuine Gambian to oppose it. "I have decided out of [my own] freewill to join the APRC because I see no more reasons to continue being an opposition. The numerous developments are enough to justify my reasons. I did not do this for any personal gains; if it was personal gain then I would have joined them a long time ago. I am simply following the footsteps of my brother Rambo to become part of national development," he stated whilst promising to rally all the youths in Serrekunda Central behind the APRC. 

For his part, Yankuba Colley welcomed Ismaila Gitteh to the APRC and informed him that it is a Gambian party that thinks Gambian and acts Gambian and as such is open to all Gambians. He described Gitteh's move as a manifestation of his democratic rights, adding that his defection to the APRC is another indication that the party is here for development and progress. The APRC national mobiliser declared that the opposition in the country is dead, saying that all they do is to create false impression about their might and strength. He added that the polls will always give a clear verdict. 

He stressed that the opposition is not an agenda to the APRC; but rather the development of The Gambia and her people. "We welcome you with open arms, the APRC is a party where all members are equal and our doors are always open for anybody who wants the development and progress of the country. As I said and would always say, the opposition is dead. They are in fact not our agenda. Come 2011, we will win with a landslide victory that would be [a] record in our history," he stated. He finally called those in the opposition that are yet to join the APRC to come forward and join the programme of development.