The Unity Democratic Party (UDP), has expelled eight members representing the party in the National Assembly from the party, Almamy Taal, spokesman of the UDP confirmed to local media on Thursday.
Billay Tunkara, Kanora Constituency, Upper River Region, Saikouba Jarju, Busumbala Constituency West Coast Region, Fatoumatta Jawara. Tallinding Kunjng constituency Kainfing, Saikou Marong, Latrikunda Sabijie constituency, Kanifing, Baba Galleh Jallow, Sanneh Menterreng constituency West Coast Region, Omar Darboe, Upper Niumi constituency North Bank Region, Abdoulie Ceesay, Old Yundum constituency West Coast Region and Alagie Jawara, Lower Badibu constituency were expelled on Thursday for allegedly conducting themselves in a way that was not in conformity with party principles.
Taal said the expulsion of the eight legislators from the party was the outcome of broad party consultations.
The Voice reports that recently, Saikou Marong and Fatoumata Jawara, members for Latrikunda and Tallingding Kunjang Constituencies opposed the views and position of the UDP demanding that President Adama Barrow to leave power by end of his three years in office.
The UDP lawmakers pointed out their party position is not in consonant with the country’s Constitution which calls for any seating President of the republic to serve for five years.
Also recently, the UDP called on President Barrow to respect the agreement reached by the Coalition in 2016 and hand over power by December.
However, the statement made at the UDP press conference did not go down with two members of the UDP in Parliament, creating divisions within the UDP party on whether President Barrow should respect the 3 or five years in office.
“I have made my position very clear since the very night UDP made its statement that the President should step-down after three years. I want to make my position very clear to Gambians and my position is that, I am supporting the five years mandate of the President given to him by the constitution,” said Saikou Marong NAM, Latrikunda Sabiji
“This is my first time coming out publicly to affirm my allegiance to President Barrow. My reasons are based on the fact that, I now lost trust and confidence in the UDP and its leadership who have now deviated from their common goals of ending dictatorship in the country,” Fatoumatta Jawara, National Assembly Member of Tallinding Kunjang, said recently.
She revealed that the UDP has now started going against the very people who stood by the party shoulder to shoulder at the most difficult times of the party only to be mortgaged by people who never contributes to its long journey of struggle against dictatorship in the country.
“Personally, I have started losing hope in the UDP, especially when the party started castigating the very people who led the struggle against ending dictatorship in this country. Every day you see UDP members harping insults and all sorts of names on people who sacrifice their lives for this party and the leadership keep paying blind eyes on these issues”, Jawara pointed out.
She added: “I want to make my position clear that am here to support the President and I am with him all the way to the end of his five years mandate given to him by the constitution”.
