Africa-Press – Gambia. Essa Mbye Faal, leader and secretary general of the APP-Sobeya party, has accused the National People’s Party (NPP) of securing victory in the recent Half Die Ward by-election through acts of bribery. In a recent appearance on Coffee Time, Faal claimed the election was less about party politics and more about personalities—alleging that monetary inducements played a decisive role in the outcome.
“It was not about NPP and PPP, It was personalities. And in fact, in Half Die, if they were not giving 500 Dalasi to houses, they would not have won if there were no bribes,” Faal asserted.
He further alleged that bribery has become a pervasive issue in Gambian politics, particularly by those in power.
“Look, we have to be honest. In Gambian politics, there is a lot of bribery, especially by the regime in power. That is the truth. They may deny it,” he said.
Essa added that while some may claim that Essa Faal is lying, he prays he would never find himself in a position where he would need to lie. He stated with certainty that the NPP distributed 500 Dalasi to the people of Half Die ward.
“I know for certain that they were giving 500 Dalasi. Many people received 500 Dalasi, or they were giving out money, but that is true. Gambian politics is like that. Well, why did Barrow win in 2021? Because they were also giving out goodies,” he said.
Essa clarified that claims suggesting he visited a particular village to distribute football jerseys are false. He acknowledged that his team had indeed given out jerseys, but only once—and it had nothing to do with the elections.
“My team gave out jerseys once, It was just for a moment. It was not tied to the election. It was way before, I was not even aware of it, but this happened in a completely different place from where this person was talking. People take opportunities to lie about people and say things that they know that are not true But they say it nonetheless because you want to stain the person,” he said.
He went on to claim, “in Half Die, to be quite candid, they gave out money to people they did. They may not accept it, They may deny it, maybe they will put a police officer out of the door here to have me arrested for saying what I have said.”
The host of the program expressed concern that Faal could face repercussions for his comments, as the government has insisted there are no threats to press freedom. Faal responded by noting that there have been numerous attempts to intimidate him.
“Well, that means they have tried many times. Look, when I had that running with that person they sent to come and insult my parents, I reported the matter to the police. They charged me with an offence. They charged me with idle and disorderly conduct. This is a colonial legacy and dictatorial governments tend to latch onto it,” Faal concluded.
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