By Kebba Secka
GPDP’S Spokesperson Abdoulahi Mendy on Thursday 10th January, 2019 said President Barrow never gave his party any fund to finance candidates during the National Assembly and Councillorship elections.
Mendy made these remarks in a telephone interview with this reporter. “What we have received is four hundred thousand dalasis (D100,000 for each candidate) through the coalition committee to finance four candidates during the National Assembly Elections,” explained Mendy. He further highlighted that there is nothing to show that his party had received funds directly from the president. “As a party, all that we’re concerned about is we didn’t receive money in the name of the president to finance our candidates,” he asserted. Asked for his description of the president’s statement towards the political parties, Mendy said he would rather ask: “How wealthy President Barrow was at the time to sponsor all the political parties than to make other comments.” He however, accepted that the party at that time received D25,000 from the ex-vice president, Fatoumata Tambajang to finance five (5) female candidates. This fund according to him, wasn’t received in the name of president Adama Barrow.
It could be recalled that on 6 January this year, President Barrow claimed in a discussion with elders from Kombo South that he spent various amounts up to three hundred thousand dalasis per National Assembly candidate of coalition political parties in the country.
Since then, it has raised public eyebrows. PDOIS’s Admin Secretary Mr Edi Jallow and independent candidate and National Assembly member for Basse Constituency, Muhammed Magaasy both rejected the claim of the President. Foroyaa will continue to pursue the reactions of other political parties or independent coalition candidates on whether the President financed their candidature.
