By Binta Jaiteh
The bubble has burst Sheikhna Faal, the Press Secretary of The Gambia Action Party (GAP) has accused Musa Yaly Batchilly the former Secretary General and party leader of partaking in the rejection of Mr Alieu Sowe by the Independent Electoral Commission during nomination in the past parliamentary election under the ticket of the party.
In an interview with the Voice, he said “I want to inform Gambians that GAP failed the nomination during the past presidential election because Musa Yali Batchily personally gave the IEC registration papers to certain individuals to copy those details on the nomination papers of Mr Alieu Sowe. The nomination papers were under his care since and he purposely did that to make Alieu fail because he asked us to come along with him to join Barrow which we declined as an executive body”.
“I confronted him about that when one of the girls he asked to copy those details informed me. I did inform the rest about Batchilly’s act but it was already late as the papers were already with the IEC. As he was already with the president by the time our nomination came, he snitched on us and informed the IEC about the mal-practice which eventually led to Alieu Sowe’s rejection by the IEC,” Faal disclosed.
He further stressed that Batchilly’s selfish desire led him to join Barrow which they could not avoid happening, and that was the reason they decided to suspend him and eventually expelled him from the party by the powers given to them through their constitution which says in Article (15)’ Chapter 9.2 under the party code of conduct stating that ”as an executive member you cannot show allegiance to another political party and when you are found guilty, the disciplinary committee can suspend or expel the individual”.
“I urge Gambians to desist from people like Batchilly politically because he uses Islam as a strategy to cover up to say lies and many of us became victims of his manipulation. I am still the Press Secretary of the party as he was informed by the IEC that he cannot get rid of us nor can we until congress. Meanwhile, as a result, I have no regrets about being part of GAP as we have people of the high regard that are part of the team.
“However, his recent interview was meant to draw Barrow’s attention to him so that he can be given access again to be going in and out of Statehouse as he wishes and he has no CV which he claimed, and that is the reason he was never considered as a flag bearer in the party” Faal exposed his former party leader.
