By Buba Gagigo
Pa Modou Mbowe, a prominent member of the APRC splinter group – “No To Alliance”, has accused the Independent Electoral Commission of doing whatever the National People’s Party (NPP) wants them to do.
“It is a shame. They are supposed to be an Independent Electoral Commission, but I have changed the ‘I’ to ‘D’ because they are dependent. They are dependent on the NPP. Furthermore, they are doing everything that the NPP wants or needs in this country. We want them to do their job, to be independent,”
Mr. Mbowe made these comments while appearing on Kerr Fatou’s weekend show -the Brunch on Saturday. He alleged that the Independent Electoral Commission refused to meditate between the two factions of the APRC because that split is in the interest of the NPP.
“If there is an impasse within a registered political party, if the IEC is independent, they should meditate that impasse. It happens with PPP and the NCP, and they mediated those problems and had them resolved. What takes them so long, especially when we knock on their doors twice? I was the very one who took the letters to IEC and sat down with Ebrima Manneh, the Bookkeeping officer, to make sure he registers receipt of the letter that I brought for onward delivery to the IEC’s chairman, Alieu Momar Njai.
“From there, I went to the inspector General of Police to deliver a copy to him. And I have evidence of this. I proceeded to the Inter-Party Committee as well and gave them the letter for them to do the right thing because we are interested in doing things right. We want them to do their job, to make sure they mediate and tell the truth. But the truth is, the IEC is sleeping with the NPP, and it is in their interest to see the APRC split,” he concluded.
The Alliance for Patriotic Re-orientation and Construction (APRC) splintered into two camps shortly before the 2021 presidential election. The “No To Alliance” faction remain loyal to former president Yahya Jammeh and considers him the de facto owner of the party. They refused to accept the coalition deal brokered by the faction led by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Fabakary Tombong Jatta with President Adama Barrow’s National People’s Party.
The IEC meanwhile recognises the Fabakary led faction of the APRC as the registered legal entity.