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| President Adama Barrow |
Both resignations take effect today. It is unclear whether the decisions of the two officers were coordinated.
In her resignation letter addressed to the executive members and advisors of the President Barrow Youth for National Development (PBYND) dated February 8th, 2018, the president of PBYND, Ndey Fatima Jammeh said she was selected to lead the movement "on a transparent basis and on the promise that we will be loyal to each other." She continued, "[H]owever, (the) spirit faded away because of few individual's personal interest and that is not the agenda we wanted."
She assured Gambians that she "wouldn't be part of anything that will be a threat or to jeopardize the peace and democracy of my country."
Lamin K. Saidy, was carried the title of Adviser to the Barrow's Youth for National Development also submitted his resignation citing similar sentiments. He said in accepting the challenge as adviser to the group, he did so in the spirit of providing his support to the initiative. "However, over the past months, the nation is divided in opinion about the formation of such a group attributing it to politics." To many, he continued, "it has the potential of undermining democratic principles on which our new found democracy is built on."
In concluding his resignation letter, Mr. Saidy said that although there is no evidence to support the concerns that the PBYND is more political- than development-oriented, his overriding reason for resigning his post has to do with protecting his credibility and that of the civil society organization he works with. Although personal, his decision to resign is also guided by his professional undertaking.
