NPP, GDC head the Inter-Party Committee

Honorable Saikou Bah, the NPP National Assembly member for Basse Constituency and Mr Samba
Baldeh, the GDC’s Senior Administrative Secretary, as Co-Chair have been both elected and assumed
the leadership for the Inter-Party Committee of The Gambia with a “non-renewable” five-year term.
Hon Saikou Bah and Mr Samba Baldeh have now replaced former Parliamentarians, PDOIS Leader, Hon
Halifa Sallah of Serrekunda and APRC’s Hon Musa Amul Nyassi of Foni Kansala, who’s both
Parliamentarians terms ended in April 2022.
Speaking after the election which was held on Friday at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International
Conference Centre in Bijilo, both Samba Baldeh and Hon. Saikou Bah expressed their commitment to the
IPC mandate, as they vowed to assume the mantle of leadership in making the Gambian model of inter-
party dialogue is strengthened.

Samba Baldeh further called on the 18 political parties that are members of the organization to start
contributing financially to the IPC, making very clear that the IPC cannot continue to depend on UNDP,
ECOWAS, UNOWAS, and NDI.
Speaking earlier on the selection and nomination process, Dodou Jah noted that there were women
during the selection but however said that nobody volunteered and said they would be the Co-Chair but
instead they unanimously selected Co-Chair Samba Baldeh.
Mr Jah highlighted that the IPC is “not gender balanced when it comes to the leadership of the IPC” and
that the IPC did not neglect women’s representation, and therefore, the IPC don’t even mind having two
women Co-Chairs as long as they are competent to serve the aims and objectives of the IPC.
Dignitaries in attendance include a representative of ECOWAS, UNDP and various Political Parties. The
IPC is the apex umbrella body of all Registered Political Parties and helps to promote unity and peaceful,
violent free elections.
In his speech, the outgoing co-Chair, Musa Amul Nyassi, took the opportunity to pay homage to Halifa
Sallah for the outstanding role he played in making the IPC a reality in the county’s political spectrum.
“We committed ourselves to take the leadership of the IPC,” he said that whiles addressing on Halifa
Sallah’s strong leadership qualities calling him “my mentor.”

“Sometimes, it is critical to know a human being. We are judgmental,” Nyasssi explained, adding that his
interaction with the former MP for Serrekunda gave him the opportunity to know him, to develop and
profit from his experience.