Unconfirmed reports reaching forGambia News Friday, say Gambia’s former president, Yahya Jammeh’s team is in the Gambia’s Central River Region (CRR) as we publish this, on a sensitization tour of the country with word from Jammeh that he would not form any coalition with anybody. The move came in the wake of persistent rumors that Adama Barrow has been working on a merger with Jammeh’s APRC.

This paper has been furnished with some names including that of Mr. Pa Modou Mbowe, former Daily Observer Managing Director and Awa Sally Sidibeh (name not independently verified) leading a delegation in CRR. Awa Sally Sidibeh is dubbed “Mother of APRC.” They are currently buttressing missive from Jammeh that would inevitably shatter Barrow and his NPP’s hopes of counting on the APRC support base ahead of the December polls.

Barrow has shown his state of extreme despair—from rushing to Senegal’s Macky Sall to Conakry’s Alpha Conde or even Bissau’s Mballo. The embattled president did even frown at patriotic Gambians that decry registration of foreigners for perhaps, Gambia’s most crucial election since 1965.

The President has never openly condemned any attempts by the numerous unscrupulous foreign nationals, mainly from Guinea Conakry, striving to acquire Gambian voters’ card in the just concluded registration. Instead, he summoned local heads (Alkalos) to not only throw aspersions at his most feared opposition element, Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, but also openly express his loath at the vehement stance Gambians took to fight against registration of foreign nationals.

Stark in his desperate remarks was a direct mention of Dr. Sedat Jobe’s name, whom he accused of attacking the Senegalese High Commission in Banjul. Again, the dumbest president in the world doesn’t understand the correct meaning of “attack” because all Sedat did was to have a dialogue with the Senegalese mission who never complained of Jobe’s gestures. In fact, Jobe himself, a career diplomat, has been more diplomatic than the President.

Meanwhile, certain executive members of the APRC have clearly tilted to Adama Barrow and his corrupting, money-dangling NPP. But here lies the monolithic obstacle: the APRC support base has been sworn-enemies of Barrow, the man who seized their assets, jailed party members, confiscated their money, cars, or even barred certain members from holding public office in the Gambia for life!

 Perhaps the biggest of these is to illegally occupy and militarize Foni without authorization from parliament. During such hard times, Foni residents, including late Haruna Jatta, were shot and killed. Others, such as Ismaila Tamba were injured by bullets in separate attacks while others such as Ebou Camara were chased into the bush by very hostile Senegalese forces stealing and killing their cattle or impregnating their women. Yet the same Barrow wants to turn to the same people for help in difficult times!

APRC’s Deputy Spokesperson Dodou Jah, last year, told this editor that he kept receiving phone calls on a daily basis from party supporters who would incessantly retort, “If you guys join Barrow in a coalition, we’ll leave APRC or politics in general!” This is more than a political threat in a threatening climate for a threatened and failing president who has betrayed time itself.

Different sources tell forgambia that Jammeh has shunned the current APRC executives who clearly show interest in auctioning the party to president Barrow for personal gains. On several occasions, members of this same executive have hinted that they would carry out their deal with Barrow with or without Jammeh. More on this soon!

Update:

The press release below was from last year. But some APRC top-shot is re-circulating it amid reports of Jammeh’s dissatisfaction with those trying to sell his party to Adama Barrow.