Newly minted National People’s Party yesterday notched a duo of electoral wins in Niamina West and Kerr Jarga by-elections.
NPP accumulated a total of 1718 votes compared to 805 votes for GDC/UDP alliance.
In Kerr Jarga councilorship contest, NPP polled 2327 votes, UDP 219, APRC 193
while GDC got 642 votes.
The ominous sign for UDP in 2021 with the wins is not lost on former diplomat and top political hack, Bamba Mass, who conceded they got their work cut out for them in presidential elections next year.
His words: “Congratulations NPP. You won this one. Prepare for 2021. We will go back to the drawing board. Though both NIAMINA and JOKADU has never been UDP strongholds since 1996, they part of Gambia. We will do our home work!”
However, some UDP millitants have claimed massive exercise of vote buying by officials of NPP that resulted in the dropping of the GDC/UDP alliance in both Kerr Jarga and Nyamina West by-elections. If these claims are correct, it remains to be seen how President Barrow's NPP can replicate these tactics nationwide to win the race to State House in 2021. Kerr Jarga and Nyamina West have never been strongholds for the UDP, albeit the UDP went into an alliance with GDC who won the seat in Nyamina West in 2016 with a huge margin, NPP winning both elections means nothing can be taken for granted in Gambian politics.
Here is how the NPP candidates in both the councillor and National Assembly by-elections in Kerr Jarga and Nyamina West fared: Birom Sowe polled 1,716 votes compared to the GDC/UDP backed Yero Jallow’s 805 votes. Awa Gaye scored 1,364 compared to the 700 tally of GDC's Yama Cham, 446 votes of APRC's Wuyeh Jarra and 257 votes of UDP candidate Momodou Sillah.
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