Abuko Ward Councillor Apologises Mayor Bensouda

By Landing Ceesay

The ward councillor for Abuko under the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) ticket, Pa Lamin Gibba has apologised to Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda after accusing him of being ‘corrupt’.

“I am apologising to the whole of the Gambia, the whole of APRC, the whole KMC and more, especially Talib Bensouda. Definitely, I made a very big mistake and serious allegations against Mayor Bensouda.

“It was in the time of politics and everyone wants to score political points. I am apologising to Talib Bensouda because, to be honest, I said something that is not nice to hear. I said that Talib Bensouda is corrupt and a whole lot of things against him. So I am apologising to him and I regret accusing him of corruption and all those words,” Councillor Gibba said.

The Abuko Councillor said Talib Bensouda did not deserve the allegations he (Gibba) levelled against him.

The councillor added that if he had the opportunity to gather all the people who were at that meeting when he was accusing Mayor Bensouda, he would do it and apologise to Talib Bensouda.

“If I can be able to withdraw what I said against Talib Bensouda from the minds of the people who attended that meeting, I will do it. Those who believe the allegations I said against Talib, I am telling you that sorry.

“Since the day I said all those allegations against Talib Bensouda, I haven’t talked to him. Nobody tells me to apologize. I am doing this at my own discretion. I feel that what I said was not only wrong but it was false allegations against Talib Bensouda. So I am apologising to him and I withdraw my statement,” he said in an interview with Star FM’s Pa Nderry Touray on Tuesday.

The councillor at a rally during the presidential campaign in 2021, while canvassing votes for Adama Barrow, accused Mayor Bensouda of being ‘corrupt’, an allegation he now withdrew.