The Alliance for Patriotic Re-orientation and Construction (APRC), has appointed Mr Momodou Turo Darboe as its new campaign manager in the Kanifing Municipality for the January 24 local government elections.

According to reports reaching the Daily Observer, Darboe’s appointment came into effect on December 27, last year, and has been greeted with a flurry of welcome by some political analysts, who described it as timely.  Mr Darboe, an indefatigable supporter of the ruling party, has a remarkable record of supporting the government’s development efforts and has used his personality as a social philanthropist to beautify the APRC.

In his new assignment, Mr Darboe will telescope 17 wards in the Kanifing Municipality, which has the second largest voter population in the country.

The APRC councillor hopefuls, with those of the NADD, UDP, NRP, and independent candidates have been nominated at a ceremony administered by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) at its Kanifing.

Darboe thanked President Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh in an interview with the Daily Observer, for the confidence bestowed on him to lead the campaign of the formidable party in the country’s biggest municipality.

He predicted that the APRC would have a smooth ride over its opponents come January 24.

"I have criss-crossed the whole municipality well before this date and I know what is on the ground.  I am confident that most of the seats will be won by the APRC.

The municipality has been and will continue to be the stronghold of the ruling government."

"We will not waste our time and energy to campaign but will only go round to meet with the people and remind them to stay focused and not be misled by any opposition element during the campaign period," he said.

Darboe lashed out at the candidates that stood under independent tickets, describing them as "selfish and greedy". He warned them against using the name APRC during the campaign.

Asked if he has the ability to head the campaign team of the APRC in Kanifing, Darboe quipped, "My name is a household name in this country, in particular, Kanifing Municipality. The APRC made the right decision to make me the head of its campaign team. I have the know-how, the influence and the ability to carry out this function efficiently. In that municipality, when I speak people listen."

Mr Darboe added that his assignment is not new  as he has been part of the grass-root politics in the municipality. He therefore appealed to the APRC leadership and militants to give him the necessary support and assistance in carrying out this task.

He said the last five years have witnessed a lot of success stories in the municipality, maintaining that this is a result of the "careful and rigorous scrutiny" by the APRC of its nominees.

"I want to assure the public that the selected candidates for the upcoming elections have the potential to serve the people for the next five years. They have all been carefully scrutinized before they were nominated.

They are energetic, hardworking, intelligent, and positive and above all, they are development oriented to steer the affairs of the municipality for the next five years. I urge all Gambians to cast their votes for the APRC come January 24," he appealed.

Buttressing the achievements of the previous  members, Darboe revealed that a lot of development projects would be carried out by the APRC candidates with support from KMC.

He said councillors play an important role towards national development in the area of road construction and maintenance, provision of pipe borne water and electricity, sanitation, and development of recreational parks among other social services.

"This is why people should come out in large numbers to vote on January 24. Voting for the APRC means securing another five years of development and progress for the municipality," he concluded.