Gambia: Opposition, Ruling Party to contest Wuli East Bye-election
By Gambian Correspondent – The ground has been set for the much-awaited bye-election in Wuli East constituency, after the ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) and the opposition National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD) on Monday nominated their candidates for the elections.
While the ruling party fielded one Saidou Sabally, a native of Passamas Fula Kunda in Wuli East district, the opposition NADD’s candidate is Suwaibou Touray, the same candidate who lost to the ruling party’s candidate in the last legislative elections.
Presided over by IEC official Alieu Momar Njie, the nominations took place at the Independent Electoral Commission’s regional office in Basse Mansajang Kunda.
The bye-election, which followed the death of Bekai Camara, National Assembly Member for Wuli East last month, was scheduled for 28th April 2011.
Speaking to this reporter in Basse, shortly after his nomination yesterday, Saidou Sabally the APRC candidate expressed optimism that he will sweep the polls. He said the ruling APRC will register even more votes in Wuli East this time around than in the last legislative election.
NADD candidate Suwaibou Touray told journalists that all political parties in this country have their programs and policies, and that his party’s policy has been proven 100% in The Gambia.
According to him, there must be winners and losers in any election, noting that the current situation in The Gambia shows that people must participate in elections or else democracy will fail.
“The type of development we have in this country is cosmetic development,” Touray said, adding that the priority of the people of Wuli is the construction of roads, and that the ferry service is in a deplorable situation.
Meanwhile, Yankuba Colley the APRC National Mobiliser told this reporter that there is no single opposition party in the country that can challenge the APRC.
In his view, come this bye-election and any other election, the APRC will sweep the polls.
