The Peoples Progressive Party is beginning an election of its leadership on Saturday, December 29, and former vice president Bakary Darboe is among the contenders for its leadership.
The acting secretary general of the Peoples Progressive Party, Omar Jallow (OJ), has showered praises on what he call country’s “greatest party” and the “quality leadership” of Dawda Kairaba Jawara as the party began congress on Friday.
Jallow, a former agriculture minister under the PPP, said when their party took over the leadership of the country even some political parties thought it could not survive as a nation.
“The PPP is the greatest party in the Gambian history… The white people said we cannot survive as a nation… Other parties were considering joining Senegal but Sir Dawda Jawara refused,” said OJ at the opening of the party’s first congress since 1992.
The PPP, the party that led the country to independence, has been toppled by the Military Junta led by former president Yahya Jammeh amid allegations of widespread corruption.
The Junta seized the assets of former PPP ministers and the party.
They also established two commissions of inquiry, the Bafo and the Alghali Commissions, to investigate former ministers and the top PPP politicians.
Though the findings of the Alghali Commission was never made public, the assets belonging to former ministers that were seized by the state was never returned to them.
The former vice president, Bakary Bunja Darboe, told journalists at his residence on December 27 that their party’s assets seized by the state are still not returned.
Darboe said they will take legal measures to regain their assets that were seized illegally.
Meanwhile, Omar Jallow said the Friday congress marks the beginning of the reviving of the party.
“The love for the leadership of this party has been engrained in the hearts of the people of these country…,” said Jallow.
“We are meeting today with a renewed vigor… to revive the PPP to serve the Gambian people again…,” said Alagie Yahya Ceesay, the chairman of the Congress and the National President of the PPP.
The opening ceremony of the congress was attended by Aja Mariam Secka United Democratic Party, Mai Fatty Gambia Moral Congress, Dembo Bojang United Democratic Party and Lamin Cham from the presidency. Also present was former vice president Fatoumatta Jallow Tambajang.
Other top PPP members at the congress were Papa Njie and Bakary Bunja Darboe, two people who are currently the main challengers of the party’s leadership.
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