By Tabora Bojang
President Adama Barrow has called on APP-Sobeyaa leader Essa Faal to join the NPP led-alliance ahead of the December election, which he triumphally claimed to have bagged, insisting that Gambians “are not crazy” to change him for any other among the current crop of opposition leaders.
Faal, a once fierce critic of the Barrow government has been in discussions with the president’s coalition as the country inches towards the 5th December presidential election.
Speaking at the inauguration of a 4.5km road linking Gunjur beach to the coastal town, the president advised Faal not to follow the path of UDP leader Ousainu Darboe who he said refused to heed his call to join him.
Barrow said his re-election is “fully reassured” because Gambians “are not crazy” to vote for the opposition, some of whom he said were afraid to go into politics during the Jammeh dictatorship because they feared being fed to crocodiles.
“Let me say here that the election is over in this country. The day Gambia Democratic Congress joined President Barrow, I called on my father Ousainu Darboe to come and join me because the election was over for him and we could use the money we are going to spend on election on development but my father refused to answer the call.
“Today, I want to call on the remaining opposition like Essa Faal to come and join me. Essa I am calling on you and your colleagues in the opposition to come and join President Barrow and let’s develop this country. Our intention is nothing but peace and development. So, if you believe in your knowledge come and join President Barrow, if you want to work come, and join President Barrow, if you want peace, come and join President Barrow because the election is over in this country! Gambians are not crazy. They are not going to truncate this development,” Barrow said. He predicted that the margin of his victory this year will surpass that of 2021.
Money, power politics
President Barrow accused some opposition entities of wanting to buy their way to power. He questioned their contribution to national politics during the Jammeh era. “They are in politics today thanks to President Barrow. They had money but they were afraid thinking that if they participated in the politics, Jammeh was going to hand them over to the crocodiles. But they are here today wanting to use money to get to power. Don’t vote for them. They want power to enslave Gambians. You will regret voting for them,” Mr Barrow claimed.