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| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Momodou |
Posted - 01 Jun 2024 : 13:17:43
All governors replaced
Victory for UDP!
President Adama Barrow has replaced all governors in the country with deputy permanent secretaries following a legal challenge by the United Democratic Party (UDP) for violation of the Local Government Act.
In a swift move to avoid public embarrassment, the president promptly made the replacements.
The Local Government Act stipulates that governors must be senior civil servants, not politicians or individuals with no public administration experience.
Source: What’s On Gambia |
| 3 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Momodou |
Posted - 02 Aug 2024 : 11:50:13
EX-GOVERNORS BOUNCE BACK
The Standard: August 2, 2024
By Lamin Cham
https://standard.gm/ex-governors-bounce-back/
The Standard has been reliably informed that the regional governors who were hurriedly redeployed to various ministries two months ago are now back to their old job.
The five governors and their deputies have had their appointments challenged in court by the opposition United Democratic Party which argued that they did not come from the civil service as dictated by the constitution.
Even before the conclusion of the case, the officials were redeployed to various ministries while their deputies were posted to the ministry of local government. The court case was subsequently struck out after UDP failed to turn up on a scheduled date for sittings.
The governors are Ousman Bojang, WRC, Lamin Saidykhan- NBR, Seedou Lamin Bah -LRR, Samba Bah – URR and Ousman Bah of CRR. The Standard also got information that the replacements of the governors, mostly deputy permanent secretaries, would equally return to their old positions. |
| Momodou |
Posted - 03 Jun 2024 : 10:06:36
Government Makes U-Turn Amid UDP's Lawsuit Against Governors
By Kexx Sanneh
President Barrow has removed all Governors and Deputy Governors sued by some members of the United Democratic Party (UDP) challenging the legality of their appointments.
The law requires that any person to be appointed a Governor must be above the rank of Director in the Civil Service ranking. It is the case of the five (5) UDP members who filed different cases challenging the appointment of the Governors and Deputy Governors of the regions. The case is before the Bundung High Court presided over by Justice Aisatou Jallow-Sey.
The UDP members relied on sections 123, 124 and 125 of the Local Government Act. It is their case that anyone to be appointed as a governor or a deputy governor must come from the civil service as they placed heavy reliance on section 123 of the Local Government Act.
Section 123 provides that "There shall be, for each of the Local Government Areas, except for the City of Banjul and Kanifing Municipal Council, a governor, who shall be a civil servant, not below the rank of a director in the civil service, appointed by the President."
The UDP members wanted the court to make a declaration that their appointments were unlawful, illegal and therefore null and void. They wanted the court to declare that they did not fulfil the requisite statutory (legal) qualification to be appointed to those positions as governors or deputy governors.
Also, the high court declared that the governors and the deputy governors in the five cases to stop parading themselves as governors or deputy governors and they should also stop performing the functions of the governor and deputy governor.
The case was only heard once in court and before the second hearing the Government removed all of them. They have now been moved and integrated into the Civil Service of the Gambia. Some were appointed permanent secretaries while others were appointed deputy permanent secretaries.
A few days after the commencement of the the Government released a presser signed by Ebrima G. Sankareh indicating that the President acting under Section 123 (1) of the Local Government (Amendment) Act, 2006, appointed the following Government officials as Governors:
Mrs Fanta Bojang Njie Samateh Manneh, current Deputy Permanent Secretary (DPS), Ministry of Fisheries and Water Resources as Governor of West Coast Region (WCR), Ms Fatou Jammeh Touray, DPS, Ministry of Agriculture is the new Governor, North Bank Region (NBR), Ms. Ramou Sarr, DPS, Ministry of Transport, Works & Infrastructure as Governor, Lower River Region (LRR), Mr. Musa Mbye, DPS, Ministry of Youths & Sports as Governor, Central River Region (CRR);
and Mr Abdoulie Kah, DPS, Ministry of Defence as Governor, of Upper River Region (URR) while all the deputy governors redeployed to Ministry of Local Government and Lands.
Saikou Sonko, the Councilor for Sikka Ward in Upper Niumi sued Lamin Saidykhan, the Governor North Bank Region alongside his deputy, Dembo Samateh. With the latest development, Lamin Saidykhan is now appointed DPS Ministry of Agriculture and Dembo Samateh deployed to Ministry of Local Government and Lands.
Samba Bah, Governor of URR and deputy Mamading Ceesay, whose appointment is challenged by UDP’s Muhamed Fatty. Samba Bah is now deployed as DPS Ministry of Fisheries while Mamading Ceesay is deployed to the Ministry of Local Government and Lands.
Ousman J. Bojang, Governor of WCR was deployed as DPS Ministry of Works. This case was filed by UDP’s Lamin Dibba, the Councilor for Pirang Ward in the Brikama Area Council sued them. Baba Galleh Jallow is now redeployed to the Ministry of Local Government.
Seedy Lamin Bah, Governor, LRR is now appointed as the DPS Ministry of Youths & Sports. His appointment was challenged by UDP’s Almamo Ceesay accusing Governor Seedy Lamin Bah and Sainey Mbye of actively participating in party politics before their appointment as the Governor of LRR.
Ousman Bah, Governor of CRR was appointed as the DPS at the Ministry of Defence. He was sued by Sorie Darboe, the Councilor of Bani Ward in the Kuntaur Area Council and a native of Dobo Village.
All the deputy governors were redeployed to the Ministry of Local Government, Regional Government and Religious Affairs.
Will UDP continue with the case? All eyes will be on the court on the next hearing on 10th June.
Follow Kexx News Everyone @highlight
#courtreporting #factualnews #thenationeye |
| Momodou |
Posted - 01 Jun 2024 : 17:36:20
By Karantaba Touray
The government’s attempt to redeploy the regional governors they illegally appointed to run political interference for them as Deputy Permanent Secretaries in the various ministries is nothing but plain subterfuge . What they are trying to do is to supplant one illegal conduct with another illegal conduct in a bid to get around the law . Non of the Governors and their deputies they are now trying to move to the ministries are qualified under the law and the administrative procedures of the Civil Service to be Governors, Deputy Governors or Deputy Permanent Secretaries (DPS). They are ALL empty haftan political hacks who are doing nothing besides NPP politics and strong arming Chiefs and Alkalos to do their bidding . They should be removed from office in a proper and straightforward manner . If the government wants to replace them with the current DPS already serving in the ministries that is legal because they meet the threshold set by law . But the erstwhile illegal governors cannot be parachuted into the ministries to replace those DPS because they are not qualified . The departing DPS should be replaced by career civil servants already serving in government with the requisite qualification . Why should NPP cronies be imposed on ministries to serve in high level technical positions when they are not qualified and the law specifically prohibits their appointment? They just want to temporarily assign these illegal governors in the ministries as unqualified DPS , run the clock for a short while and turn around and send them back to their old positions . Their objective is to defeat both the letter and spirit of the law through bureaucratic subterfuge. They don’t want apolitical career civil servants serving as governors because that would mean leaving alkalos and chiefs alone and in their traditional roles serving freely and fairly .
Of course all of this is triggered by the lawsuit filed by aggrieved citizens represented by lead Counsel Lawyer Alhagi Ousainou Darboe and his colleagues challenging the illegal appointment of these NPP political Governors. This insincere bureaucratic maneuver won’t alter the course of that lawsuit which is in addition to a similar lawsuit challenging the illegal appointment of diplomats. It is very important for citizens in a democracy to insist on fidelity to the rule of law and vehemently oppose any and every attempt at lawlessness. |
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