Mr. Pa Modou Mbowe, former managing director of the Daily Observer company has confirmed to forGambia News and Radio word from former president Yahya Jammeh that the APRC wouldn’t form any coalition with anybody, “particularly” NPP. Mr. Mbowe was speaking to us in an exclusive interview Monday morning where he stated that it was week-before-last that Jammeh spoke to his team. “The phone was on loud speaker and [Jammeh] was speaking to my ears and that of Amie Jatta and Musa Jarjue,” he stated.

He narrated that it was Jammeh who sent them to buy “guru” (colanut) and meet the people of CRR, an area he had never lost an election before. He was aware of the little problem that occurred there regarding demarcation of the constituencies. He wanted CRR people to reconcile for peace because his adopted mother Aja Babung Sidibeh is from CRR. Amie Jatta was sent with him to deliver Jammeh’s message to the eleven constituencies in the region.

“In his own words to my ears and the ears of Amie Jatta and to the ears of Musa Jarjue, because the phone was on speaker, when he gave us directives to go to CRR, that was the most important item of his message. He said, APRC is APRC and for APRC. As for him (Jammeh) they were not going into any coalition with anybody, I use the word particularly NPP.”

“If you were following social media some time ago, an audio was circulating and President Jammeh was saying the same thing. He stated that APRC wouldn’t form a coalition with anybody. He’s standing the same ground today. This same word was the major part of our trip (to CRR week before last) to make sure APRC militants stay APRC,” he said.

“He hasn’t advised any coalition or anything like that because we’re the biggest party and the most disciplined party. We’re the most organized party. So, we don’t need a contamination.” There was a little intra-party problem in CRR for the party which they hoped to settle according to Mr. Mbowe.

“In fact, a mini congress was organized by some folks in the region which wasn’t authorized or recommended by Jammeh. [On the contrary], in fact, some folks went ahead and deferred a meeting that was authorized by Jammeh to address APRC’s problem in the region where some constituency re-demarcations were underway. The meeting was aimed at a reconciliation, he mentioned.

Mr. Mbowe didn’t hesitate to reiterate Jammeh’s firm stance on no coalition with NPP. He buttressed his message with a no coalition, “particularly with NPP.” Asked why he was chosen by Jammeh to lead the delegation to CRR and whether such move won’t create some fracas between his person and the current APRC executive that has clearly tilted to Adama Barrow and his NPP.

Mr. Mbowe replied that he isn’t the least worried or concerned about whatever those people do. He stated he’s not using the APRC as a source of livelihood and has never collected money from the party to survive. “We make the party survive, not the party makes us survive,” Mbowe brilliantly put it.

He added that he was aware of some APRC pickups visiting State House these days to receive twenty-five Tobaski rams from Barrow. He lamented how terrible that is compared to the loses in assets and other valuables APRC suffered in the hands of Barrow, including the killing of some of their party supporters and occupying Jammeh’s own residence in Kanilai.

Asked whether he was aware of the return of vehicles to the APRC as purported by some executives earlier. Mr. Mbowe replied that no press conference was held anywhere to show party supporters what was returned to the party. But if in fact the so-called seven vehicles were returned as claimed, that’s far less than the forty-five vehicles seized from the party by the Barrow gov’t according to Mr. Mbowe.

Please listen to the rest of the interview here on forgambia by clicking on the black play button for the radio below this story or top right-hand corner of our home page.