The Standard also contacted the chairman of the IEC Alieu Momarr Njai on the matter and his respond was :“We are going to meet on Wednesday to discuss Sonko’s dismissal from his party and his own letter reacting to the BAC vice chairman’s letter sent to us. I hope we will settle the matter once and for all.”

Mr Njai further make known that the electoral commission has some significant issues to address because “Sheriffo Sonko is saying that his deputy used another letterhead and has no authority to do that. The current chairman is also supported by sixteen councilors out of 28 councilors. This is why I deem it necessary to call a commission meeting to address the issue.

“But the law is very clear – if a chairman or a councilor is dismissed by his/her party the person automatically loses his/her seat. But the IEC should be notified by the authority the person is serving at the time of the dismissal,” Njai said.

He added: “They are asking me why Sheriffo Sonko, who is elected by 28 wards, should lose his job after being dismissed by his party – when lawmakers who are elected by one constituency will not lose their job when they are fired by their parties. This I cannot comprehend. But there is nothing I can do to correct that – the law is the law.”

“Many APRC members of the National Assembly lost their seats under the former regime through the application or misapplication of this provision.
But in December 2017 lawmakers passed a bill repealing section 91(1)(d) of the Constitution to protect themselves from losing their jobs when they are fired by their political parties.”

Source___Standard Newspaper