APRC Leader Jatta Accuses UDP of Fueling Post-2017 Hostility, Renews Alliance With Ruling NPP

By Makutu Manneh

Fabakary Tombong Jatta, the leader of the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction and speaker of the National Assembly, has accused the United Democratic Party of being responsible for much of the hostility that APRC supporters faced after the political transition of 2017, as he announced a renewal of his party’s alliance with President Adama Barrow’s governing National People’s Party.

Speaking at an APRC news conference, Mr. Jatta revisited the turbulent period that followed the defeat of former President Yahya Jammeh in the December 2016 presidential election, saying members of his party endured intimidation, harassment, and attacks, as well as what he described as unlawful dismissals and the loss of livelihoods.

Mr. Jatta said subsequent political developments had given the APRC a clearer understanding of the coalition that brought Mr. Barrow to power and ended Mr. Jammeh’s 22-year rule.

He argued that the UDP’s eventual departure from the governing coalition and the Barrow administration helped the APRC conclude that the treatment its supporters experienced after the transition did not reflect the intentions of the coalition as a whole. Instead, he attributed those actions to the UDP.

Mr. Jatta did not provide specific evidence at the news conference linking the UDP as a party to the incidents he described. His remarks amounted to a sharp political accusation against a party that played a leading role in the coalition that defeated Mr. Jammeh.

The experience, Mr. Jatta said, prompted the APRC to reassess the country’s changing political landscape. He said politics was inherently dynamic and argued that national interests should take precedence over partisan considerations.

“Despite the challenges, the APRC chose dialogue over confrontation and peaceful political participation over disorder,” Mr. Jatta said. “The party deliberately opted for engagement because it is a party of peace.”

Mr. Jatta said the APRC subsequently assessed President Barrow’s governing approach and came to view his administration as more inclusive and accommodating of Gambians across political affiliations. He pointed to what he described as the president’s emphasis on dialogue, reconciliation, peace, and political stability.

That assessment, he said, formed the basis of the APRC’s decision to align itself with Mr. Barrow and the NPP.

The renewed alliance reinforces the APRC leadership’s continued political partnership with the governing party as political parties position themselves ahead of The Gambia’s next presidential election.