Halifa thrusts Darboe back in harsh glare, says imprisonment of UDP leader made coalition feasible

By Sainey Darboe:

The leader and Secretary General of PDOIS, Halifa Sallah, has made a bombshell disclosure that Jammeh’s defenestration in 2016 elections was rendered possible because UDP leader Ousainou Darboe was in prison.

Halifa Sallah has needled the veteran attorney and leader of the biggest opposition party for scuppering and stunting possibilities for coalitions in the past.

While addressing the National Assembly on Thursday during a debate session attended by the Vice President, Dr. Isatou Touray, he ventured:

“The coalition was possible because the leader of a certain party I don’t want to mention was in prison. I first called the candidates of the parties because it would have been impossible to build a coalition through the parties directly.

I told Dembo Bojang if the coalition succeeds it will be a legacy for him. He said I should be the chair, but I said no and he agreed but asked for Fatoumatta Tambajang to join her as co-chair”.

The coalition, in Halifa’s telling, was meant to put Gambia firmly back on the path to “true democracy”, even as he conceded to derailment.

“I was ready to resign from my party to be an independent candidate.But the coalition lost control of president Barrow.We now have an executive president who can fire anybody. What’s the point of coalition when you have no power and can be fired anytime?Where is the coalition partnership?”, Halifa enquired.