By Fatou Sillah
Rohey Malick Lowe, the Mayor of Banjul City Council, has accused the United Democratic Party (UDP) of failing to protect her from sustained personal attacks and internal vilification by members of her own party.
In a candid interview with Eye Africa TV, Mayor Lowe said she had endured years of public insults and smear campaigns, primarily led by Mark Janneh, a fellow UDP member and outspoken supporter of Kanifing Municipal Council Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda. Despite the persistent nature of the attacks, Lowe claimed the party leadership remained silent.
“For two to three years, this man has been bullying me, and the party never once came to my defense,” she said. “I have been treated like an outcast.”
According to Mayor Lowe, since 2022, Janneh has consistently blamed her for various issues and has led coordinated efforts to tarnish her reputation, allegedly involving social media groups where even her family was targeted.
“They went as far as sending audio messages to groups where my husband is a member, hurling insults at me,” she said. “Mark Janneh called me a criminal, a liar, even the liar of President Barrow, until I stopped attending UDP executive meetings.”
Lowe said her absence from key party meetings was a direct result of the leadership’s refusal to address the situation.
“Whenever something happens, the UDP is quick to issue press releases and hold press conferences, but never have they called out Mark Janneh,” she said.
When asked whether she had raised the matter directly with the party leader, Ousainou Darboe, Lowe suggested that Darboe and other senior officials were well aware of the situation.
“I don’t need to tell the party leader personally. The way you know about this is the same way he knows. He is one of the most informed people in this country,” she said.
Mayor Lowe dismissed speculation that she was aligned with President Adama Barrow, a frequent political point of contention. “I am not afraid of anyone, and I am not a liar — not to Ousainou Darboe, nor to Adama Barrow,” she said.
Reflecting on her life outside of politics, Lowe emphasized that her self-worth is not tied to her political career.
“Politics does not pay my bills,” she said. “Before politics, I built houses, owned cars, took my mother to Mecca, and I have traveled there myself several times.”
The mayor also revealed that the sustained character attacks nearly destroyed her marriage.
“They threw so much dirt on me that I almost got divorced. There is nothing more they can do to hurt me,” she said. “I’ve reached a point where I know where I belong, and I refuse to go where they want me to be.”
Lowe suggested the attacks against her were partly driven by factional support for Bensouda, but insisted that personal loyalty should not justify abuse.
“Supporting Talib does not give you the right to insult my mother or make false accusations against me,” she said.
She also criticized the UDP’s apparent selective defense of its members.
“They issued a press release condemning the insults directed at Mama Kandeh because it served their interest, but when I was under attack, they remained silent,” she said.
Despite the tensions, Mayor Lowe clarified that she no longer holds personal animosity toward Bensouda.
“At first, I used to be angry with Talib, but now I accept that if the party leader says they sent him, who am I to oppose that?”
The United Democratic Party has not yet publicly responded to Mayor Lowe’s allegations.