Reliable sources have informed the Daily Observer that Dawda Manneh, the National Assembly member for Nianija Constituency, has been expelled from the APRC party, with immediate effect.

When contacted at the time of going to press, last night, Hon Adama Cham, the National Assembly member for Kombo North Constituency, who also doubles as an executive member of the APRC Secretariat in Banjul, said he believes the expulsion came from the top. Like Governor Alhaji Ganyie Touray of the Central River Region (CRR), Hon Cham confirmed that he also learned of the news of Dawda Manneh's expulsion while listening to the Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS Radio).

Reports monitored on GRTS television also confirmed the story. The statement, broadcasted during the TV station's 9 o'clock news edition, stated: "The general public is hereby informed that the National Assembly member for Nianija Constituency, Dawda Manneh, has been removed from the APRC party, with immediate effect."

It can be recalled that Hon Manneh was recently arrested by personnel of the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDEA), alongside his accomplice, Demba Baldeh, an ex-soldier, now hired as a security officer at the Central Bank of The Gambia. They were arrested in Bansang, CRR. The duo was suspected of trading in cannabis, an illicit drug locally called "jamba". The crime attracts heavy fines.