{"id":92720,"date":"2025-12-26T19:36:43","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T19:36:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/sheriffo-sonko-challenges-mc-cham-jr-over-coalition-remarks"},"modified":"2025-12-26T19:44:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T19:44:34","slug":"sheriffo-sonko-challenges-mc-cham-jr-over-coalition-remarks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sheriffo-sonko-challenges-mc-cham-jr-over-coalition-remarks","title":{"rendered":"Sheriffo Sonko Challenges Mc Cham Jr. over Coalition Remarks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>Sheriffo Bayo Sonko, Transport Councilor for the Brikama Area Council, has fired back at Business Councilor of Kanifing Municipal Council, MC Cham Jr., over recent comments concerning opposition coalition strategies ahead of The Gambia\u2019s 2026 elections.<\/b><\/p>\n

In a sharply worded statement, Sonko cast doubt on the viability of MC Cham Jr.\u2019s preferred candidate to lead any opposition coalition.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo amount of explanation can convince Gambians or serious political parties to accept your so-called \u2018winnable candidate\u2019 as a coalition leader,\u201d Sonko said. \u201cIf your plan is to force people to accept your leader or to form a family party, then you clearly do not understand the current political reality of The Gambia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sonko accused MC Cham Jr. and his candidate of carrying a \u201cstain of betrayal\u201d and questioned their moral authority to speak on coalitions, referencing MC Cham Jr.\u2019s past affiliation with the United Democratic Party (UDP).<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have no moral authority to speak about coalitions when you betrayed the very party that made you who you are today,\u201d Sonko added.<\/p>\n

Drawing parallels between MC Cham Jr.\u2019s candidate and President Barrow\u2019s leadership, Sonko warned, \u201cThe presidency cannot be replaced by another betrayal, especially by someone who is even worse than President Barrow himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sonko also questioned MC Cham Jr.\u2019s party formation strategy, citing Senegal\u2019s PASTEF as a comparison. \u201cYou spoke about PASTEF. How was it formed? Was it through betrayal and personal interest, or through honesty and national interest?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Highlighting the priorities of Gambian citizens, Sonko stressed that the focus should remain on issues such as corruption, poor healthcare, and rising living costs. \u201cCoalitions are for serious political parties that understand the country\u2019s real concerns. These are the issues resonating in the minds and hearts of Gambian citizens,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Taking a further jab, Sonko criticized MC Cham Jr. \u2018s movement, noting, \u201cNations are built on reality, not fiction. That is the weakness of your so-called movement, which is not even a political party yet.\u201d He advised MC Cham Jr. to \u201ccarefully read and understand the messages you carry before sharing them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reaffirming UDP\u2019s openness to genuine coalition partners, Sonko concluded, \u201cOur doors remain open to those genuinely seeking change, not procu procu politicians,\u201d Sonko said.<\/p>\n

The exchange underscores rising tensions within opposition ranks as The Gambia gears up for the 2026 elections.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. Sheriffo Bayo Sonko, Transport Councilor for the Brikama Area Council, has fired back at Business Councilor of Kanifing Municipal Council, MC Cham Jr., over recent comments concerning opposition coalition strategies ahead of The Gambia\u2019s 2026 elections. In a sharply worded statement, Sonko cast doubt on the viability of MC Cham Jr.\u2019s preferred […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":92719,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7,12],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-92720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-policy","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nSheriffo Sonko Challenges Mc Cham Jr. over Coalition Remarks - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sheriffo Bayo Sonko, Transport Councilor for the Brikama Area Council, has fired back at Business Councilor of Kanifi ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sheriffo-sonko-challenges-mc-cham-jr-over-coalition-remarks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sheriffo Sonko Challenges Mc Cham Jr. over Coalition Remarks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sheriffo Bayo Sonko, Transport Councilor for the Brikama Area Council, has fired back at Business Councilor of Kanifi ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sheriffo-sonko-challenges-mc-cham-jr-over-coalition-remarks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-26T19:36:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-26T19:44:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/12\/sm_1766765589.594606.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sheriffo-sonko-challenges-mc-cham-jr-over-coalition-remarks#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sheriffo-sonko-challenges-mc-cham-jr-over-coalition-remarks\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Sheriffo Sonko Challenges Mc Cham Jr. over Coalition Remarks\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-26T19:36:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-26T19:44:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sheriffo-sonko-challenges-mc-cham-jr-over-coalition-remarks\"},\"wordCount\":412,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sheriffo-sonko-challenges-mc-cham-jr-over-coalition-remarks#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/12\/sm_1766765589.594606.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"head lines\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sheriffo-sonko-challenges-mc-cham-jr-over-coalition-remarks#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sheriffo-sonko-challenges-mc-cham-jr-over-coalition-remarks\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sheriffo-sonko-challenges-mc-cham-jr-over-coalition-remarks\",\"name\":\"Sheriffo Sonko Challenges Mc Cham Jr. over Coalition Remarks - 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