By Fatou Sillah
Nenneh Cheyassin Kebe, a former vice-presidential candidate of the People’s Progressive Party, has credited herself and Saikou Sawo with helping restore the party’s political relevance, saying their efforts renewed public interest in one of The Gambia’s oldest political parties.
In an interview with Eye Africa, Ms. Kebe acknowledged the PPP’s long history and contributions to the country but said the party had attracted little public attention before she and Mr. Sawo became actively involved in its affairs.
“Nobody was talking about the PPP before Saikou and Nenneh started talking about the PPP,” she said. “They have been around for 50 years. They are one of the oldest parties. Yes, they have contributed to society; I agree with all that. But the PPP was dead.”
Ms. Kebe said their work strengthened the party’s public profile and gave it greater influence in negotiations among opposition groups. She argued that the PPP’s current bargaining position was partly the result of the time and effort that she and Mr. Sawo invested.
“They have this negotiating power that they have now because Saikou and Nenneh put in the work,” she said. “But if they don’t want to recognize that, that is fine. We can move on without them.”
Ms. Kebe stopped short of claiming sole responsibility for the party’s resurgence, describing the partnership as mutually beneficial. Still, she maintained that their involvement helped give the PPP a stronger voice in national politics.
“We were able to create a voice for PPP,” she said. “The reason PPP is bluffing is because we put in the work. PPP was here last election; nobody was talking about them. I will not say that we did all the work. It was a beautiful relationship, and it came from our hard work.”
She also said no opposition party could defeat President Adama Barrow on its own, arguing that coalition-building—including engagement with the United Democratic Party—remained essential to mounting a credible electoral challenge.
Reflecting on her early political experience, Ms. Kebe acknowledged that she and Mr. Sawo had initially underestimated the complexities of party politics.
“In the beginning, not understanding the dynamics of politics, Saikou and I were very, very arrogant and very naïve,” she said. “We thought that we could just come in and change the world because we felt that our ideas were the best.”
Their work with the Golden Era Party, she added, gave them the political standing necessary to ally with the PPP.
“If we hadn’t put the work into GEP, we wouldn’t have had the power to join the PPP,” she said.
Ms. Kebe also criticized the PPP’s handling of the recent dispute over its engagement with the UDP, describing the party’s approach as unprofessional.
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