11
The Gambia Action Party (GAP) has entrusted its State House bid to Ba Samba Drammeh, handing the social worker and human rights advocate the party’s ticket for the December 5 presidential election, while party founder Musa Ousainou Yali Batchilly assumes the role of running mate, the party told The Fatu Network.
Speaking to this medium about why Batchilly would not be the party’s presidential candidate, GAP said the decision was not motivated by political calculation but reflected what it described as a willingness to place the party’s broader objectives ahead of individual ambition.
The party said Batchilly believed leadership was about creating opportunities for capable people to serve and that national development, accountability, economic transformation and justice were more important than any single office.
Drammeh confirmed to The Fatu Network that he had accepted the nomination and said GAP was ready to contest the election regardless of whether it entered an alliance with other political parties.
The presidential hopeful said his priorities would include tackling the cost of living, creating opportunities for young people, strengthening justice and investing in Gambian talent rather than allowing skilled citizens to seek opportunities elsewhere.
Drammeh is best known as president of the Association of Social Workers in The Gambia (TASWIG) and has represented The Gambia within international social work networks, including the African regional team of the International Federation of Social Workers’ United Nations Commission.
His career spans social work, banking, business development and international trade. He studied in The Gambia before pursuing further studies in human rights and humanitarian action at Sciences Po in Paris, and has been involved in advocacy on child protection, social welfare, youth employment and the reintegration of returning migrants.
The party said Drammeh and Batchilly would work together on a platform centred on putting Gambian interests first, with the official unveiling of the candidate scheduled for October 23.
