Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Protesters in Niani Set fire on Community Centre, Local Market Over Incumbent’s Candidature

The selection of Niani constituency’s ruling-APRC sponsored incumbent parliamentarian to contest in the upcoming National Assembly elections has triggered protests in that provincial district. 
In a rare move, the youth on Tuesday took to the streets, setting on fire the community centre at Wassu village, where the selection took place, and a local market, in protest against incumbent Ebrima Manneh’s candidature. 

Manneh, 37, became a member of the National Assembly of The Gambia after winning in the last parliamentary polls on the ruling APRC ticket in 2007. 
But as the country heads to yet another parliamentary polls slated for March 29, Mr Manneh, who has a diploma in management studies has come under fire from some of his fellow APRC supporters in that region. 
Sources confirmed to this paper that three others including, Mr. Alagie Sillah, Mr. Sheriff Jawo and Mr. Amadou Jallow have shown interest to contest on the ruling APRC ticket.
However, the President Jammeh appointed Alhaji Malick Njoke Secka headed selection committee for the APRC in Niani on Tuesday selected Ebrima Manneh, to the anger of some youth. 
“We the youth of Niani are strongly against the selection of Ebrima simply because since he has not brought any meaningful development in our area,” a protester told this paper. 
Meanwhile, the incident apparently resulted in a news release from the Office of the 
President, warning against the imposing of incumbents on their constituents for selection as an APRC candidate.
And Daily Observer newspaper Thursday reported that four people have been arrested by the police and are currently detained at the Wassu Police Station. 

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