Former Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh, who remains in exile, has expelled lawmaker and 2026 presidential hopeful Bakary Badjie from his political party, the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC).
In an audio message obtained by AFP on Tuesday, Jammeh announced that Badjie was removed from the APRC with immediate effect from February 24, insisting that the decision was final.
“This is not up for negotiation,” Jammeh declared, urging party members to focus on unity and recruit “patriotic citizens, not tribalists” to help reclaim control of the country.
Jammeh, 59, ruled The Gambia from 1994 to 2017 before being forced into exile in Equatorial Guinea after losing the 2016 election to Adama Barrow.
Despite his exile, he continues to exert political influence and recently expressed his desire to return and lead the APRC.
Badjie, 40, is part of a dissident faction within the APRC and announced his candidacy for the 2026 presidential election on February 18.
However, Jammeh denied endorsing him, stating they had no communication regarding his campaign.
Badjie was also among lawmakers who backed a controversial bill that sought to overturn a 2015 ban on female genital mutilation, a proposal rejected by parliament last July.
Jammeh’s expulsion of Badjie comes as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) moves forward with plans for a special tribunal to prosecute crimes committed during his rule.
In 2022, the Gambian government endorsed a commission’s recommendations to prosecute 70 individuals linked to abuses under Jammeh’s regime, including the former leader himself.
Despite its political turmoil, The Gambia, a nation of two million people and a former British colony, remains among the world’s least developed countries, according to the United Nations.
