APP-Sobeyaa’s national spokesperson, Ousainou Bobb, has issued a robust defense of the party’s agreement in principle with the ruling National People’s Party, saying the deal followed careful consideration and should be judged on its substance rather than speculation.
Bobb said his phone had “hardly stopped ringing” since the announcement, as supporters, colleagues and critics sought explanations. He acknowledged anger and disappointment on social media, particularly among those who found the move hard to reconcile with positions previously taken by party leader Essa Mbye Faal.
“That is a legitimate question, and we will not shy away from it,” he said.
In a personal note released late Wednesday, Bobb argued that political parties exist to pursue objectives, influence national direction and serve the public — not to remain in opposition indefinitely. “Opposition is a means. It is not the objective,” he wrote.
He insisted APP-Sobeyaa did not enter talks with the NPP casually. The party, he said, weighed its options and asked which arrangement offered the best chance to advance its longstanding priorities: accountable government, stronger institutions, constitutional reform, diaspora voting, improved conditions for public servants, lower living costs, and better healthcare, agriculture and energy.
Those principles, Bobb emphasized, have not changed. Past criticism of the government, he added, does not require rejecting every opportunity for cooperation when it can advance issues that matter to Gambians.
“Criticism and cooperation are not mutually exclusive,” he said. “Political maturity requires the ability to disagree on some things while finding common ground on others.”
Bobb recognized that some supporters had hoped Faal and APP-Sobeyaa would back another opposition candidate or remain inside a broader opposition arrangement. Those expectations, he said, had not been met, and people were entitled to feel disappointed. But the party could not base decisions solely on others’ expectations.
“We must make decisions based on our own assessment of what serves the interests of the Gambian people,” he wrote
He asked the public to wait until the details of the agreement are finalized and published before passing judgment. Fair questions, he said, would then include what was negotiated, what commitments were made, what the party intends to achieve, and how it will hold itself and its partners accountable.
Until then, he cautioned against filling gaps with speculation. APP-Sobeyaa’s identity and principles, he insisted, remain unchanged.
