By Fatou Sillah
Essa Faal, leader of the APP Sobeyaa party, has accused Assan Martin, spokesperson for Coalition 2026, of openly favoring Talib Ahmed Bensouda’s candidacy during the coalition’s flag-bearer selection process in an interview with West Coast Radio.
Mr. Faal said his concerns about Mr. Martin’s role deepened in the final stages of the coalition’s negotiations when he said Mr. Martin sought to sway members of the Coalition Mediation Committee in Mr. Bensouda’s favor.
He said Mr. Martin’s stance marked a reversal from his earlier position. According to Mr. Faal, Mr. Martin had been a vocal critic of Mr. Bensouda after his departure from the United Democratic Party, at one point describing the move as politically self-defeating.
“There was also another problem surrounding Assan Martin. Assan Martin was a very big supporter of Talib throughout his mayoral races. When he left UDP, Assan was a big critic; he criticized him severely, saying that what he was doing was political suicide,” Mr. Faal said.
He said that shift changed once Mr. Martin became involved in the coalition process.
“When he was brought to this process, Assan Martin changed; he metamorphosed into something completely different, telling members of the CMC, ‘Let’s give this to Talib,'” Mr. Faal said.
Mr. Faal also said Professor Yerro Mballow, the former chairman of the mediation process, had raised concerns about Mr. Martin’s conduct and at one point considered resigning over the matter. Mr. Faal said he urged Professor Mballow to stay on, believing that while Mr. Martin was an active voice in the negotiations, he did not hold enough authority to single-handedly determine the outcome.
Asked about Mr. Martin’s apparent change of heart, Mr. Faal pointed to unverified rumors that money may have influenced his support for Mr. Bensouda, while stopping short of endorsing the claim.
“The rumor was that he was given money, and I would not be surprised if he was given money. I don’t know whether he was, but I would not be surprised,” he said.
Mr. Faal said the coalition’s selection process should have given all candidates a fair opportunity to compete, rather than creating the impression that one contender had already been chosen.
He also questioned the coalition’s composition at the time of his withdrawal, arguing that it was made up largely of UNITE and a number of other organizations rather than established political parties.
“You go into a coalition with political parties; there is no political party there, it’s UNITE and some organizations, some of which are not even registered; they have no standing,” he said.
Mr. Faal’s remarks follow his withdrawal from Coalition 2026 ahead of the selection of Mr. Bensouda as the coalition’s flag bearer.
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