Africa-Press – Gambia. Yahya Tamba, the former interim leader of the APRC “No to Alliance” faction, has publicly condemned Fatoumata Jahumpa Ceesay for what he described as disrespectful and damaging remarks made about former President Yahya Jammeh.
In a strongly worded statement issued over the weekend, Tamba criticized Ceesay, a prominent figure within the APRC Alliance faction, for comments that he believes undermine the legacy and personal dignity of Jammeh, who has been living in exile in Equatorial Guinea since 2017.
Tamba further alleged that Jahumpa Ceesay has long harbored ambitions of establishing her own political party and accused Fabakary Tombong Jatta, the current APRC leader, and his allies of inviting her into the party solely for strategic reasons.
“Fatoumata Jahumpa Ceesay always wanted to form her own party. That is a fact, but Fabakary and his people brought her into APRC to block her from doing so. They thought bringing her in would attract money from outside the country. That is why they campaigned for her to become the party’s treasurer,” he asserted.
One of the more contentious points raised by Tamba was Jahumpa Ceesay’s alleged admission that Jammeh never approved the controversial 2021 alliance between the APRC and President Adama Barrow’s National People’s Party (NPP).
“She has confirmed that Jammeh never gave them the green light to form an alliance, that clears the air for those who were spreading that Jammeh gave us the green lights,” He Said.
He went on to urge key APRC leaders, including Bakso Jaiteh and Fabakary Tombong Jatta, to denounce Ceesay’s statements publicly.
“Bakso Jaiteh and Fabakary Tombong Jatta, if you have any respect for president Jammeh, you should come out and condemn Fatoumata Jahumpa’s words and take necessary action. What she said about Jammeh living in Equatorial Guinea and bringing Gambian and Nigerian girls there is very harsh and disrespectful,” he stated.
He also took issue with Ceesay’s reported description of Jammeh as “stupid, mad, and greedy,” saying such language is unbecoming of a former Speaker and long-time political ally.
“The man that people respect, Fatoumata Jahumpa, is calling that man stupid, he is mad, and he is greedy. The time that President Jammeh made her the speaker of the National Assembly, she didn’t do all this until he left,” he said.
Calling for legal accountability, Tamba suggested that Ceesay should be taken to court for her alleged defamation of the former president. “If Fatoumata Jahumpa is in The Gambia, she should be taken to court and call her for insulting President Jammeh, If you are truly supporting Babili Mansa. This is beyond silence. Nobody can come between me and President Jammeh. He is my family. Fatoumata Jahumpa do not be carried away by your position and be disrespecting president Jammeh that is even respected by President Barrow,” he asserted.
Lastly, Tamba questioned the authenticity of Ceesay’s claims regarding financial transactions, in which she allegedly stated that Jammeh received $50,000 and that General Badjie and others received $5,000.
“Which voucher did she see that tells her that they are paying president Jammeh fifty thousand dollars and General Badjie and others five thousand? What proof does she have to say that the vouchers they signed are five thousand and when did they stop signing the vouchers? He asked.
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