Africa-Press – Gambia. Seedy Ceesay, the Administrative Secretary of the ruling National People’s Party (NPP), has emphasized that the party is undergoing a strategic transformation aimed at establishing it as a lasting political institution.
Speaking in an interview with West Coast Radio, Ceesay said the NPP is working to ensure its continuity beyond the tenure of its founders, particularly President Adama Barrow.
Ceesay underscored the importance of institutionalizing the party to avoid the fate of many African political parties that disintegrate after the departure of their founding leaders.
“Fundamentally, what I always say, as far as the NPP is concerned, we are transforming the party to be an institution. Like President Barrow always said, we don’t want a Banna Banna party. For many years, most political parties, not only in Africa in this sub-region, tend to live that life of a Banna Banna,” he said.
He added that the collapse of political parties across Africa is often due to a lack of proper structures and long-term planning.
“The founder is out of the scene; the party will crumble, because the party has not been institutionalized,” he noted.
According to Ceesay, President Barrow’s vision is to build a party that will endure for generations.
“When you come to NPP, his philosophy and his belief that this party must outlive him, me, and anyone else in this generation, and that is the transformation that the party is doing,” he said.
Ceesay clarified that leadership within the NPP is determined by the party’s constitution and not by appointment or assumption. He stressed that succession is based on democratic processes.
“That is not what has been spelled out in our constitution; we have a process; the secretary and party leader is the secretary and party leader; you have the national president, the first national president, the second, and the deputy national president,” he said.
He explained that the party’s structure outlines specific leadership roles, including the Secretary and Party Leader, National President, and various deputies.
“When you talk about Dembo Sabally, you talk about Honorable Dembo Bojang, you talk about Suku Singhateh; they are national presidents. They are not secretaries and party leaders,” he said.
He also reiterated President Barrow’s message that the NPP belongs to the Gambian people. “President Barrow has always said that the party belongs to the Gambian people and, rightly, the members of the National People’s Party,” he said.
Ceesay addressed the recent departure of some NPP members who are reportedly forming new political parties. He affirmed their constitutional right to do so.
“You know every person, whether you are a member of the NPP, as long as you are a Gambian, you are within all your rights to form a political party. As far as the NPP is concerned, The Kebba Madis, The Lamin Jattas, Lamin Tourays, they have a right to form political parties and they have a right to freedom of association,” he said.
However, Ceesay criticized the ambiguity of some individuals who, while holding NPP positions, were allegedly involved in efforts to create new parties.
“But you cannot hold positions in the National People’s Party and speculations continue to say you want to form a political party, Even though Kebba Madi have not come out to say he is forming a political party or Lamin Jata,” he explained.
“We have seen evidence of videos and audios, so based on that we thought it would be important to engage him to explain to us what is actually happening,” he stated.
According to Ceesay, the party gave Kebba Madi an opportunity to explain his stance but received no response.
“We gave him the opportunity to hear him write to us and tell us and he chose not to write to us.The secretary and the party leader decided to constitute a committee to invite him and his colleagues to come before this committee and have an interface but they ignored that as well,” he added.
As a result, Ceesay said the party acted in accordance with its constitution.
“Unanimously, the party decided to relieve them of their position, they are still members of the National People’s Party until they choose to resign from the party,” he stated.
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