Dr. Ousman Gagigo, co-founder of the Patriotic Progressive Alliance (PPA), has criticized the leadership of the Citizens’ Alliance (CA), led by Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, accusing the party of inconsistency, lack of integrity, and insincerity in its political engagements.
Speaking in a recent interview, Dr. Gagigo questioned the credibility and seriousness of the Citizens’ Alliance, suggesting that its leadership has failed to demonstrate genuine commitment to national politics.“There are political parties that one moment say they are in opposition, and another moment you hear that they join the government. Citizens Alliance is another example I will give; this is not a party that is serious,” Dr. Gagigo said.
He further alleged that the CA leadership lacks integrity, citing what he described as inconsistencies in their conduct and record.
“We have seen by their own leadership that there isn’t much integrity in the leadership, given their track record, so it is very easy to have a lot of political parties, but they are not created equal; some parties may exist for a short time, but there is no doubt about their seriousness, integrity, competence, and sincerity,” he said.
Dr. Gagigo also highlighted that many political parties fail to field candidates during presidential or National Assembly elections, which, in his view, exposes their lack of seriousness.
“So the fact that we have a large number of political parties today is not a problem in and of itself; the number of parties that are actually serious about contesting and presenting a transformational agenda to the people will become evident over the coming months,” he said.
Looking ahead to the next political season, Dr. Gagigo noted that the Gambian electorate will soon have the opportunity to assess each party based on its ideas and policies.
“Now over the course of the year that is to come, which is a lifetime in politics, we will get a chance to hear from each and every one of these parties, we will get a chance to hear about their agenda, and through the battle for ideas, the agendas they present, the Gambian people will have the opportunity to differentiate between which political parties are serious versus which are not,” He Said.
Dr. Gagigo also raised concerns about the motives behind the formation of some political parties, claiming that not all are established with genuine national interests in mind.
“You know we have a lot of political parties, but the reality is not all political parties are created the same. There are some political parties that are created as just personal business investments for certain individuals, so that when they see an alliance discussion, they can submit their name and hope for a ministerial post or an ambassadorship that is happening,” He Said.
He further criticized the composition of the current ruling alliance, suggesting that it includes several “one-man parties.”
“Even currently, in the alliance that is part of the NPP government, there are a lot of one man parties in there,” he said.
He concluded by stressing that longevity in politics should not be mistaken for effectiveness.
“In some cases some parties have been here for a long time but longevity is not just a measure just like somebody can be in a position in a job for decades and not achieve anything what matters is what you have actually accomplished,” He emphasized.
