Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The Gambia Sustainable Environment Movement (GSEM) has distanced itself from the coalition that selected businessman and politician Talib Ahmed Bensouda as its presidential flagbearer, saying it never consented to join the formation or endorsed his candidacy.
The development adds to growing questions surrounding the legitimacy and inclusiveness of the coalition process, following the public distancing of its own Mediation Committee Chairman, Professor Yerro Mballow.
In a statement issued on Sunday, GSEM leader Ousman NL Njie said the movement had participated in the coalition discussions from the outset as a collaborator but became increasingly concerned about the process as political leaders withdrew and questions emerged over the criteria for selecting a flagbearer.
GSEM Rejects Endorsement Claim
GSEM said the withdrawal of some political leaders could not simply be dismissed, arguing that their concerns pointed to weaknesses in the process.
“Political leaders that bailed out cannot be wrong in their observations,” the movement said, adding that failing to address those concerns had exposed “emerging flaws” in the coalition process.
The movement stressed that its participation in the talks did not amount to an endorsement of the eventual outcome.
“Our presence was to accompany the process as collaborators, but the end doesn’t justify the means,” GSEM said.
It therefore formally rejected any suggestion that it had joined or endorsed the coalition under Bensouda.
“GSEM has never given consent to join the coalition under Talib Ahmed Bensouda, and have not endorsed him in any way,” Njie said.
The movement also demanded that its name be removed from Bensouda’s website and from any list of political movements claimed to have endorsed his candidacy.
Coalition Chairman Also Distances Himself
GSEM’s position comes amid a separate but significant repudiation from Prof. Yerro Mballow, chairman of the Coalition Mediation Committee.
Mballow has publicly distanced himself from the process that resulted in Bensouda being declared the coalition’s flagbearer and called for an independent investigation into allegations of inducements surrounding the selection.
According to Mballow, he and former Vice President Fatoumatta Jallow Tambajang, who served as a senior mediator, had recommended that the flagbearer vote be suspended for two weeks after serious allegations emerged during the process.
The two subsequently walked out of the proceedings.
Despite their departure, however, CMC spokesperson Lawyer Assan Martin and other remaining stakeholders continued with consultations. The other contenders later conceded, paving the way for Bensouda’s selection.
Mballow has since called for an independent probe, the preservation of evidence related to the process and an emergency meeting of coalition stakeholders.
“We cannot build a new Gambia on compromised foundations,” he said.
Growing Questions Over Coalition
The statements by GSEM and Mballow are likely to intensify scrutiny of the coalition’s claim to represent a broad opposition alliance ahead of the December 5 presidential election.
While Bensouda has emerged from the process as the coalition’s flagbearer, the public rejection by GSEM means that at least one movement associated with the talks is now disputing whether it ever agreed to be part of the formation.
Mballow’s intervention, meanwhile, raises questions about the circumstances under which the final selection was made and whether concerns raised during the process were adequately addressed.
The competing claims could force the coalition to clarify which political parties and movements formally consented to its formation, what role they played in the flagbearer selection and whether their endorsement was obtained before their names were publicly associated with Bensouda.
With the presidential election less than four months away, the dispute threatens to become an early test of the coalition’s ability to maintain unity after the selection of its flagbearer.
Leave a Reply