Ousainou Darboe, leader of the opposition United Democratic Party, has claimed that there was a plot to incriminate him so he could not contest the December 4 presidential election.

The opposition leader said he had intelligence report of a plot against him and other senior officials of the party. 

Lawyer Darboe made the claim at a news conference on Monday as the party reacted to a police drug bust on Saturday involving one of the party’s pickup trucks. 

“Three months ago, I had intelligent information that I should advise Momodou Sabally, Ebrima Dibba, Karafa Sonko, Hon. Saho and Ya Kumba Jaiteh and myself [that] we should be very careful where we pack our vehicles.

“Even if we take our vehicles to car wash, we must make sure that somebody stays in the vehicles because [they are] keen now particularly [with] me to plant incriminating materials on us,” Mr Darboe told journalists at the UDP Bureau in Manjai.

“[The plot against] Momodou Sabally, Ebrima Dibba, Karafa Sonko, Hon.  Saho and Ya Kumba Jaiteh [is] to silence them and to disqualify me.”

On the party’s pickup truck that was impounded by police after the drugs seizure, Mr Darboe said a search was conducted and that “no drugs were found.”

“Our information is that not a single wrap was found on the vehicle,” he said, adding “we are not claiming innocence on the part of the gentleman, but he had made his position quite clear that no drug was with him.”

Reporting by Adama Makasuba