NDP Leaders Explain Party’s Growing Financial Muscle, Credit Trust in Kebba Bojang

By Seedy Jobe

Leaders of the National Democratic Party (NDP) have defended the party’s growing financial resources, attributing its rapid expansion and increasingly visible political activities to support from Gambian businesspeople and public confidence in its leader, Kebba Madi Bojang.

Speaking during an interview with Kerr Fatou on Thursday, the party’s national president, Lamin Jatta, and administrative secretary, Lamin Conateh, faced questions about the sources of funding behind the NDP’s expanding operations.

The discussion focused on the party’s apparent financial strength, reflected in its growing fleet of vehicles, the distribution of motorcycles, fertilizer, and campaign T-shirts, and plans to establish eight political bureaus in a short period.

“Where are you guys getting all this money from?” the program’s host asked, pressing the officials to explain how the relatively new political party was financing its activities.

In response, Mr. Conateh attributed the party’s resources to growing confidence in Mr. Bojang, whom he described as a businessman with the financial means and public support to sustain an ambitious political movement.

Echoing an earlier remark by the party’s national president, Mr. Conateh invoked the phrase “Allahu Wahidun,” meaning “God is One,” before arguing that Gambians were increasingly placing their trust in Mr. Bojang’s leadership.

He drew parallels between the NDP’s financial backing and the support President Adama Barrow receives from Gambian businesspeople, suggesting that individuals who believe in a political leader’s prospects are often willing to finance their ambitions.

According to Mr. Conateh, supporters see Mr. Bojang as a credible political contender capable of winning an election and delivering on his promises.

He also described the NDP leader as a business tycoon, insisting there was no hidden explanation for the party’s growing resources.

Mr. Conateh did not provide a detailed breakdown of the party’s funding sources or disclose the identities of its financial contributors during the remarks reported from the interview.

For his part, Mr. Jatta suggested that the party’s current activities represented only a fraction of what it intended to undertake, promising that its assistance to Gambians would expand considerably.

“We don’t come for jokes,” he declared, portraying the NDP as a serious political force determined to challenge the country’s established leadership.

Mr. Jatta said an NDP administration would embrace the governance philosophy popularized by Brikama Area Council Chairman Yankuba Darboe: “Don’t steal, don’t lie, only job.”

He argued that honesty, accountability, and a strong work ethic are essential to national development, adding that the Gambia could make significant progress if public officials and citizens followed those principles.

The NDP national president also criticized what he described as the mismanagement of public resources, questioning how a country with fewer than three million inhabitants could experience financial irregularities involving billions of dalasis.

He argued that resources lost through alleged mismanagement could otherwise be used to improve the lives of ordinary Gambians.

Mr. Jatta further compared The Gambia’s population with that of Dakar, Senegal’s capital, which he said had more residents than the entire country. He suggested that the current Gambian leadership would struggle to govern a city of Dakar’s size, using the comparison to underscore his criticism of the administration’s performance.

Reflecting on his political choices, Mr. Jatta said he could have aligned himself with the government and enjoyed the benefits of political association but had instead chosen a different path because of his concerns about the country’s direction.

He maintained that the NDP was entering the political arena with a serious agenda to transform The Gambia, promising a government built on integrity, effective leadership and economic opportunity.

The party leaders’ remarks come amid growing public attention to the NDP’s political activities and the financial resources supporting its expansion.

While the officials attributed the party’s funding to business interests and confidence in Mr. Bojang, questions about the precise sources and scale of its financial backing remain unanswered.