The United Democratic Party (UDP) is no longer part of the Coalition government, says Ousainou Darboe,  leader of the UDP party.

Darboe said in an interview on Sunday with Kerr Fatou that the sacking of the UDP officials from the government meant his party will no longer be part of the Barrow led Coalition government.

He denied allegation that his party was disruptive in the Coalition government adding that its officials during their time in government had worked diligently to serve the country. He said he was not in support of “anybody’s personal agenda but the agenda of the people of The Gambia.”

Darboe said the UDP party fell out with President Barrow because they refused to support his agenda to contest for the presidency beyond 2021.

“Barrow could have gotten what he wanted if he had done things in the right way.”

The former vice president who was sacked last month along with three senior party officials from their cabinet posts said he knew he would be sacked after the party congress in December where he was elected to lead the UDP unopposed.

He said he braced himself for the inevitable firing and had already packed all his belongings after returning from the AU Summit in Addis Ababa.

Darboe denied that he was ever disloyal to President Adama Barrow. He said Barrow should not take all the claims  for removing dictator Jammeh from power. He said he too contributed immensely in removing Jammeh while in his prison cell adding that Barrow used his name and legacy during his presidential campaign.

“I contributed in removing Yahya Jammeh from power because Barrow campaigned using my name, my image and my legacy. We made him who he became.” 

Darboe claimed that they liberated themselves from jail because the Gambian people were drawn to Barrow due to the UDP’s reputation and the injustices that were being meted out to the party at the time.

He said if the widely rumoured father and son relationship had existed “then Adama Barrow would have sat down with me to discuss any problem that had occurred between us.”