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Gambia: The Scramble for Nomination At Its Highest

As the date for National Assembly elections creeps in, tensions have been rising within the ruling APRC party over the scramble over who will get the party's tickets of nomination for the 48 constituencies. In an earlier article, The Gambia Journal had warned of the coming season of discord that usually precedes legislative elections in the country. It is in this light that the arrest of the former District Chief of Foni must be seen.

Mr. Momodou Lamin Nyassi and two others were picked by members of the security forces at their home village of Bwiam about six days ago. The other two arrested persons, Messrs. Ndongo Mboob and Buba Sanyang are all known as staunch militants of the ruling APRC party. Five years ago Buba Sanyang, and two others, were picked up and detained at the NIA headquarters, when they insisted on continuing to challenge the incumbent National Assembly member for the nomination ticket. Although the scramble for APRC nomination was made extra fierce by the decision of the main opposition UDP party not to contest the last legislative elections, this year's scramble looks to be equally ferocious with contestants using the support of various arms of the security forces.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that the Member for the Banjul North constituency, Sheikh Omar Njie, had voluntarily decided not to seek re-nomination for the 2007 elections. But The Gambia Journal has learnt from reliable sources that in fact Hon. Njie's re-nomination was rebuffed firmly by an APRC Banjul branch meeting presided over by the party's National Mobilizer, Hon. Yankuba Touray. The veteran politician was said to have left the meeting in tears. Similar schisms have also been brewing over the selection of candidates for the capital city's two other constituencies as well as in other constituencies all over the country.

A political analyst who spoke to The Gambia Journal on anonymity conditions said that such rivalries are "endemic in the genesis, structure and leadership of the APRC party." He said the APRC party is not a "party organization as such, but a jarringly dysfunctional association of competing interest groups lorded over by the head of state." He further stressed that the APRC is a party in power "in control of all sorts of resources ranging cash, lucrative jobs and contracts, profitable connections, etc, and means of repressive coercion." Because the party has neither articulated political principles nor comprehensive programs, the belief in which can bind members into a common bond, the party is bound to be "a hot bed for opportunism, self gratification and bitter rivalries." He reminded The Gambia Journal that it has been so since the party's inception in 1996.

The analyst cited numerous examples of thug of war between different APRC factions all over the country. In the uproar over the candidate selection process for Serrekunda Central constituency in the run up to the last 2002 legislative elections, he recalled, a December 10th 2001 meeting at the Kanifing Hall in which Mr. Sainy Jaiteh was barred from entering the hall by a group of thuggish APRC militants organized in the KMC Fans Club. This was done in the presence of then high ranking party leaders like Baba Jobe, then Secretary of States Ousman Badgie and Sajor Jallow and nominated NAM Fatumata Jahumpa Ceesay. The rivalries there were between four contenders, former KMC Vice Chairman Buba Senghore, a notorious former July 22nd thug leader, Francis Gomez and Sainy Jaiteh and Ablie Sanyang. Two earlier meetings on December 1st and December 9th 2001 held at the Serrekunda School were disrupted by violence so that no elections could be held. With the support of the then highly influential Baba Jobe, Buba Senghore finally won the candidacy and stood as APRC candidate for that constituency at a December 14th meeting.

In the Niamina West constituency too, contest for the APRC ticket was quite heated among the then incumbent Lamin Wollom Jallow, Boubacarr Sonko, a former NIA agent, Fatoumata Bah, a former Cooperative Secretary and Mr. Ngai Dampha of Niamina Pinyai village, just outside Katamina. The latest was dropped because his village had not sufficiently voted for President Jammeh in the October 18th 2001 presidential elections. The tumultuous selection meeting which was presided over by Yankuba Touray was held at the Niamina village of Dalaba. Also in December 2001, APRC members in the Upper Nuimi constituency, who met in Albreda to do their selection, dropped the then sitting NAM, Ousman Jallow, to replace him with Abdoulie Jallow of Sikka village.

As for the situation in the Fonis and Kombos, the selection processes for the then forthcoming January 2002 legislative elections was marred with fights by all means necessary. Then Chief Tombong Ceesay in collaboration with the Western Division's chairman, Hon. Adama Cham, tried to save the candidature of the incumbents, Hon. Ansu Sanneh of the Foni Bintang Karanlai constituency, and Kombo Central Member Abdoulie Badgie who was facing widespread discontentment and the challenge of Famadi Bojang. Over a hundred youth who claimed to be representing 21 kabilos, or clans, armed with sticks and broken bottles, stormed the meeting of the Selection Committee to prevent the re-nomination of Abdoulie Badgie. As for the crisis in Foni Bintang Karanlai, Ansuman SM Badgie, the contestant against the incumbent, was later arrested and detained at the NIA and only released after the nomination date. Many other APRC party militants ended up in police and NIA detention centers as a result of the crisis.

It is selection time again for the various political party candidates for the January 2007 legislative elections, the scramble for candidacy should not be allowed to discourage greater voter interest and participation nor lower the quality of members of the next National Assembly.