By Assan Bah
A leadership crisis has emerged at the Mamud Fanna Secco in CRR South, with two individuals, Alagie Samba Mbye and Sarra Nyass, both claiming to be the legitimate president of the cooperative. The dispute has polarized the community, drawing the attention of regional and
cooperative authorities.
Alagie Samba Mbye, Chairperson of the Mamud Fanna Village Development Committee (VDC), narrated that the dispute arose following a push for reforms initiated by the Cooperative Society in October. The reforms aimed to restructure seccos to benefit all stakeholders.
Mbye claimed that the Mamud Fanna community resolved to replace the
old committee, accusing it of mismanaging resources. “All the
community agreed to remove the old committee and replace it with a new one. We unanimously decided that anyone found guilty of mismanaging community resources would not hold any position,” Mbye said.
He alleged that Sarra Nyass, the former president, embezzled over
D100,000 during his tenure, leading the community to reject his
candidacy for any position in the new committee.
Escalation of Tensions
The situation escalated after both contenders, Samba Mbye and Nyass,
presented their cases to the Cooperative Society for recognition. Mbye
claimed he followed due process, including collecting endorsement
forms from various Alkalos and receiving a certificate of acceptance
from the Cooperative. However, the legitimacy of his presidency was
later challenged.
According to Mbye, the regional chairman for CRR South intervened
after hearing reports of division within the Mamud Fanna Secco. “The
chairman threatened to suspend our secco if the issue was not
resolved. He claimed that only members of the old committee could
lead, which we disputed,” Mbye recounted.
Mbye further alleged that the Cooperative Society backtracked on its
reform agenda by advocating for the retention of the old committee
despite its poor track record.
Cooperative Society’s Position
Registrar General of the Cooperatives, Abba Sankare, explained that
Mbye’s certificate was issued based on the assumption that his
endorsement had the consensus of all cluster villages. However, upon
further assessment, discrepancies were discovered.
“I unknowingly issued the certificate to Mbye, believing it was
endorsed by the general membership of the cluster. After an
assessment, we found inconsistencies in the registration process and
withdrew the certificate,” Sankare said.
Sankare urged both factions to return to their communities and resolve
the matter democratically. “It is up to the members to nominate their
leader. The cooperative operates on the principle of democratic
ownership by its members,” he emphasized.
Ebrima Jallow, the regional chairman for CRR South, noted that the
division stems from disagreements between Mamud Fanna residents and neighboring cluster villages. While Mamud Fanna residents support
Mbye, the other villages prefer Nyass to continue as president.
The Registrar General has informed the Gambia Groundnut Corporation (GGC) of the dispute. The GGC has warned that it will not engage with any secco in conflict until the issue is resolved.
