Gambians online are sharing their anger and dismay about the purported appointment of APRC Fabakary Tombong Jatta as speaker of the National Assembly and Seedy Njie as deputy speaker.

Unconfirmed reports widely carried out by online news outlets reported that President Adama Barrow has appointed the duos and nominated defeated national assembly member for Talinding, Fatoumatta Jawara.

However, political activist and pro-UDP supporter Nyang Njie condemned the nominations.

Mr Nyang said: “the case of the nominated members shouldn’t be lumped. Each of the nominations comes with a can of worms. If Fatoumatta Jawara has scruples and conviction, she will respect the will of the people she once represented by telling [President] Barrow that she can’t go to the Parliament through the back door. 

“It’s one thing for Barrow to nominate her, but it’s another for her to accept the nomination. Well, she will now show us what she is made off. Sad that she has reduced herself to cannon fodder of President Barrow.

“FTJ and Seedy Njie have issues of conscience to deal with considering their treacherous acts that led to the impasse in 2016. They were both belligerent in entrenching Jammeh. 

“As speaker FTJ invoked a state of emergency, Seedy Njie challenged our elections, resulting in an attempt to rob us of our suffrage. They both don’t deserve to be representing the collective good because they went against the interest of the greater good,” he added.

UK-based activist and APRC supporter Lamin Tamba said: “This is exactly what I said yesterday! Speaker and deputy are voted in by NAMs (MPs). 

“I can see a lot of MPs voting against the dishonest Fabakary Tombong Jatta (FTJ) and Seedy Njie but I can see even NPP MPs voting against Seedy Njie. I won’t be surprised if his nomination as deputy speaker is rejected.

“Fabakary Tombong Jatta and Seedy Njie are the two people Barrow exposed last year for trying to sell APRC to him since 2017. 

“The National Assembly needs an honest, God fearing and a patriotic person. Fabakary Tombong Jatta and Seedy Njie are the opposites of the traits above. We are finished if the two above lead our assembly.

“Remember Fabakary Tombong Jatta refused to sack Seedy Njie in 2018 when Njie said he was 100% in support of Barrow, which meant he had 0% support for APRC, and he was the APRC Spokesman that time.

“FTJ refused to sack him from the spokesman role. It turned out that this is what they were working on. I hope the NAMs reject both of them.”

Reporting by Adama Makasuba