Gambiaj.com – (DAKAR, Senegal) – Doudou Wade, former president of Senegal’s Liberal parliamentary group, announced on Sunday that he will voluntarily present himself to the Urban Security Unit today, accompanied by his legal team. His appearance comes in connection with remarks he made during the television program Faram Facce, broadcast on TFM on January 28.
The program has triggered legal proceedings against both Wade and the show’s host, Pape Ngagne Ndiaye, who were summoned to court this Friday. The investigation follows a self-referral by the public prosecutor, with the Dakar Urban Security Unit tasked with examining the allegations.
Wade faces scrutiny over statements deemed offensive, including an allegory in which he compared the management of the State to piloting an A337 airplane in the hands of a “Jakarta motorcycle driver,” implicitly targeting President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
He is also accused of comments interpreted as inciting insurrection, citing past coups d’état as examples of occasions when the Republic was “saved,” and labeling Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko a “public danger.”
In his Facebook post, Wade noted that he had not received any formal summons prior to his announcement, emphasizing his decision to attend the Urban Security Unit voluntarily.
“I did not receive any summons, and no summons was left at my home,” he stated, while urging the public to remain calm and avoid actions that could disturb public order. He described himself as a “convinced democrat” and a “republican citizen,” reaffirming his respect for Senegalese laws and institutions.
The case has drawn widespread attention and support from former parliamentary leaders. Fourteen former presidents of parliamentary groups, representing a spectrum of political affiliations and led by Me Aïssata Tall Sall, issued a joint statement condemning what they described as the “criminalization of political debate.”
“Freedom of expression, the right to criticism, and democratic debate constitute essential foundations of the rule of law,” the statement read. “Opinions expressed in the public space, when they relate to political analysis, commentary, or criticism of government action, cannot be criminalized without undermining democratic pluralism and the vitality of public debate.”
The former parliamentary leaders expressed their united support for Wade and journalist Pape Ngagne Ndiaye, calling on authorities to exercise restraint to maintain national cohesion and institutional stability.
Signatories of the declaration include Abdourahim Agne, Ousmane Ngom, Bocar Sidik Kane, Babacar Gaye, Abdou Fall, Moustapha Diakhaté, Elhadji Oumar Youm, Aymérou Gningue, Mamadou Lamine Thiam, Serigne Cheikh Bara Doly Mbacké, Aissatou Koulibaly, Modou Diagne Fada, Abdou Mbow, and Me Aïssata Tall Sall (sitting president of opposition parliamentary group).
