The Youth Leader of the National Democratic Action Movement (NDAM), Mr Pa Manneh, has stated that NDAM is still part and parcel of NADD, adding that the statement made in local press early last week by Lamin Waa Juwara was absolute rubbish.

In an exclusive interview with this paper yesterday afternoon, Mr Manneh noted that Juwara took the decision to withdraw NDAM from NAAD without consulting any active member of the party.

“ The letter of withdrawal of NDAM from NAAD on The Point newspaper was news to me as it is to you. I, being the National President of NDAM, a member of the coordinating committee of the alliance, a member of the technical committee and still a member of the NADD executive, am not aware and did not take part in any meeting of NDAM that gave Juwara directives to write to withdraw NDAM from NAAD.

“With due respect to Juwara, he should go back to pen and paper and reframe his statement and refrain from using the party as scapegoat.

“There is no single active member of NDAM executive from the National Chairman down to the youth executive who took part in this decision-making to withdraw NDAM from NAAD,” Mr Manneh fumed.

He disclosed that he had consulted with the entire executive and none of them took part in this decision.

“One thing I want to say,” Manneh asserted, “is that if Juwara wants to retire from politics, he could have humbly and honorably quit and call it a day and if he wants to join the APRC also the decision is his. We would be more than happy to move on without him.

“What I personally think prompted Juwara to this decision is because of late he has been isolated too much by the party officials and myself after he perpetually took decisions, sometimes very sensitive ones on behalf of the party, without consultation.

“Secondly when he wanted to put himself up as a contender for the position of flag bearer of NADD, his decision was unanimously rejected by the secretariat, which I personally opposed vehemently at the NAAD executive meeting even before the withdrawal of UDP and NRP from NAAD.

“Also he is unable to give up a habit that does not go down well with all members of the elders committee. This, among other things, made Juwara lose popularity and trust among the party members, which resulted in his near-frustration. No wonder he decided to go and campaign for the APRC-sponsored candidate in Niamina.”

Mr Manneh further contended that there is no logic in saying that NDAM could withdraw from NAAD as “NAAD, though accidentally, happened to be a political party rather than a coalition after the ruling of the Supreme Court against four of our sitting members of parliament. Juwara is the one person on record to have decided that NDAM is dissolved. How come he just turned around to say that NDAM is out of NAAD?” he wondered aloud.

“NADD is here to stay. It would be a blessing that Juwara leaves because that would give room for us to start consultation with UDP and NRP to see how best to come together again.

My message to Gambians is let them not take Juwara any longer seriously because he is a traitor and an unreliable partner,” Mr Manneh admonished.