By Fatou Sillah
Sherriffo Sonko, a prominent member of the United Democratic Party (UDP) and fierce critic of President Barrow, has taken umbrage at Saihou Mballow’s critique of the United Democratic Party for not mentioning and thanking President Barrow at the state funeral of Ebrima Solo Sandeng and called shame on the Barrow Government.
“Shame on this Government. What a shame on the Barrow Government. We all know that Solo Sandeng was close to Barrow. They even travel together to the United States of America and other places. Solo passed away and president Barrow did not attend his funeral. President Barrow has been attending funerals all over, but he did not attend the funeral of the late solo Sandeng
“I want to tell Saihou Mballow that Solo Sandeng did not have a state funeral. He had an official funeral and that official funeral was even organized by the naturalized citizen, Kimbeng Tah. The so-called official funeral that they gave Solo, president Barrow did not even attend it. Saihou Mballow you should be ashamed to utter words to the UDP because your position today in government is all because of the UDP,” he stated.
Sonko added that UDP is the party that fought for the freedom of this country from the hands of Jammeh;
“We all know that the bad Governance that was here. UDP is the party that fought to remove that from here. In fact Sahou Mballow left this country for the United States in the name of the UDP. You were staying in America and could not come to The Gambia until Solo Sandeng and others fought for the truth and lost their lives in that process.
You (Saihou Mballow) refused to join the coalition, and you stood on your own to support a party that was not part of the coalition.
“You also called the president a slave that you will not join a slave but the one you called a slave today is the same person that you Joined you should be ashamed.
Again you became the adviser to the president, you did not give the president any advice that will benefit the president,”
He also state that Solo was not taken to the National Assembly for a proper funeral
“If you see Solo was not given a state funeral. We all know that state funeral anywhere, you took the deceased body to the National Assembly. President Barrow disappoints Solo Sandeng by appointing Fabakary Tombong Jatta as the speaker of the National Assembly. We all know that Fabakary was part of the people who made the laws that Solo was fighting against.
“President Barrow did not take the body of Solo Sandeng to the National Assembly because he made Fabakary Tombong Jatta the speaker of that house. That is a shame to the president and all of you. You should apologize to the Gambian people for doing that biggest betrayal to the nation by bringing in people who were enabling president Jammeh in this country but instead, you said we should Thank the president at the funeral of the late solo Sandeng,” he said