Almamy Touray, the former UDP National Assembly member for Niani, has described as "absolutely irresponsible and laughable," claims by the UDP leadership that he had been expelled from the main opposition party effective Thursday, May 3.
In an interview with theDaily Observer yesterday, Mr. Touray said he had resigned from the UDP effective April 30 and that a copy of his resignation letter was posted to the UDP leadership on that very day.
He said on Monday, April 30, after his resignation, he travelled to his constituency to inform his electorate that he had finally quitted the UDP as was agreed with them.
Touray said some people close to the UDP leadership in Niani who were "shocked" by the decision which, he said, was unanimously endorsed by his supporters, on Thursday contacted the party's officials in Banjul and informed them about the situation on the ground at Niani.
He said he had not yet received an expulsion letter from the UDP, and that what happened on April 30 that he and his constituency electorate shifted allegiance to the ruling APRC.
Touray said a delegation of APRC and UDP supporters from Niani will come to Banjul on an un-stated date to meet with, and communicate to President Yahya Jammeh, their desire to rally behind the APRC in the national interest.
The UDP, he said, is a party without a solid foundation, and serving no purpose of a meaningful political organisation.
"As far as I am concerned, it is efficiency and maturity coupled with absolute patriotism that are required by way of genuine political dialogue and thorough presentation of sound policies and programmes relevant to the national socio-economic situation. This is the concept that is totally lacking in the UDP," he charged.
Touray said the fact that President Jammeh won by a majority of 1,215 votes in Niani in the last presidential election when he only won by a majority of 505 votes indicated that his constituents were strongly behind President Jammeh and only voted for him on a UDP ticket due to mistakes during the identification of candidates.
He said he was not even on the UDP's priority list of possible candidates for Niani.
Reacting to the UDP claim that he had not been participating in legislative and UDP functions, Touray said he had been contributing to debates until the time he needed and sought medical attention.
He said the speaker of the National Assembly, Mustapha Wadda, and the UDP bench, were both informed about the issue, stressing that he would eventually be vindicated by the delegation expected from Niani.
While confirming that he has family ties with the UDP leader, Ousainou Darboe, and has nothing against anyone in the UDP, Touray noted that the people of Niani were not familiar with sectionalism and had nothing to do with politics based on abuse and confrontation.
"I cannot continue to be a party to a divisive and retrogressive political system," he concluded.