Sheriff Mustapha Dibba
Encyclopedia
Sheriff Mustapha Dibba was a veteran Gambian
politician who served as the country's National Assembly
speaker
from 2002 to 2006. He was also leader of the National Convention Party
(NCP).
. He worked as a clerk for the United Africa Company
before resigning in 1959 to work for the recently formed People's Progressive Party
. There he organized the party's youth wing and was elected to the House of Representatives as representative for Baddibu in the 1962 election
.
Dibba was The Gambia's first vice-president. He resigned from that position in 1975 and later formed the National Convention Party (NCP). Following elections in 1977
, the NCP became the main opposition party in the Gambia.
He was incarcerated in 1981 for alleged involvement in the foiled coup attempt that year, but was freed after 11 months in detention. A presidential election
was held on 4 May 1982, months after a constitutional amendment instituting direct election of the country's head of state. Dibba was defeated by incumbent President Dawda Jawara
. He ran again as the NCP presidential candidate in 1987
and 1992
, placing second to Jawara both times.
Following the overthrow of the Jawara government in 1994, the NCP and other political parties were banned. The ban on the NCP was lifted in mid-2001 and Dibba contested the election
held on 18 October of that year. He was defeated by incumbent President Yahya Jammeh
and placed fourth out of five candidates, winning 3.8% of the vote.
Dibba then gave his support to Jammeh and his party, the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction
, and after the legislative elections
of January 2002, he was elected Speaker of the National Assembly at the first meeting of the new legislature on 3 February.
In April 2006, Dibba was arrested and dismissed as speaker; he was allegedly linked to the coup attempt against Jammeh in the previous month. Dibba and the NCP nevertheless backed Jammeh in the September 2006 presidential election
; Dibba himself was over 65 years old by this time and was therefore not eligible to run.
He died in June 2008.
The Gambia
The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....
politician who served as the country's National Assembly
National Assembly of the Gambia
The National Assembly is the legislative branch of government in The Gambia.- Composition and electoral system:The National Assembly is unicameral and consists of 53 members who serve a five-year term. 48 members are directly elected while the remaining five are appointed by the President...
speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
from 2002 to 2006. He was also leader of the National Convention Party
National Convention Party (The Gambia)
The National Convention Party is a political party in Gambia. It was the main opposition party between 1975 and 1994. It was originally banned from participating in elections after the coup of 1994...
(NCP).
Life
Dibba was the son of Mustapha Dibba, a Mandika farmer. He was educated at Armitage School and from 1955 to 1957 at the Methodist Boys High School in BathurstBanjul
-Transport:Ferries sail from Banjul to Barra. The city is served by the Banjul International Airport. Banjul is on the Trans–West African Coastal Highway connecting it to Dakar and Bissau, and will eventually provide a paved highway link to 11 other nations of ECOWAS.Banjul International Airport...
. He worked as a clerk for the United Africa Company
United Africa Company
The United Africa Company was a British company which principally traded in West Africa during the 20th century.The United Africa Company was formed in 1929 as a result of the merger of the Royal Niger Company, which had been effectively owned by Lever Brothers since 1920, and the African &...
before resigning in 1959 to work for the recently formed People's Progressive Party
People's Progressive Party (The Gambia)
The People's Progressive Party is a moderate centre-left political party in The Gambia. It was the dominant ruling party from 1965 with president Dawda Jawara. He was elected for a sixth term of office in 1992, but was overthrown in a coup by young army officers in 1994...
. There he organized the party's youth wing and was elected to the House of Representatives as representative for Baddibu in the 1962 election
Gambian legislative election, 1962
General elections were held in the Gambia on 28 May 1966. They were won by the People's Progressive Party, which took 18 of the 32 elected seats. Another eight members were appointed by the Governor-general and protectorate chiefs.-Results:...
.
Dibba was The Gambia's first vice-president. He resigned from that position in 1975 and later formed the National Convention Party (NCP). Following elections in 1977
Gambian general election, 1977
General elections were held in the Gambia on 4 and 5 April 1977. They were won by the ruling People's Progressive Party, which claimed 29 of the 35 elected seats. There were 216,234 registered voters.-Results:...
, the NCP became the main opposition party in the Gambia.
He was incarcerated in 1981 for alleged involvement in the foiled coup attempt that year, but was freed after 11 months in detention. A presidential election
Gambian general election, 1982
General elections were held in the Gambia on 4 and 5 May 1982. Following a constitutional amendment in March 1982, for the first time the president was elected by a popular vote alongside the National Assembly. Both elections were won by the People's Progressive Party, whose leader Dawda Jawara...
was held on 4 May 1982, months after a constitutional amendment instituting direct election of the country's head of state. Dibba was defeated by incumbent President Dawda Jawara
Dawda Jawara
Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, GCMG was the first leader of The Gambia, serving first as Prime Minister from 1962 to 1970 and then as President from 1970 to 1994....
. He ran again as the NCP presidential candidate in 1987
Gambian general election, 1987
General elections were held in the Gambia on 11 March 1987. The election date had been announced on 1 January 1987 and nominations for presidential candidates closed on 9 February. A total of 113 candidates ran for the 36 elected seats...
and 1992
Gambian general election, 1992
General elections were held in the Gambia on 29 April 1992. The election date was announced on 14 February and the National Assembly was dissolved three days later. A total of 130 candidates ran for the 36 elected seats, though the ruling People's Progressive Party was the only one with a candidate...
, placing second to Jawara both times.
Following the overthrow of the Jawara government in 1994, the NCP and other political parties were banned. The ban on the NCP was lifted in mid-2001 and Dibba contested the election
Gambian presidential election, 2001
Presidential elections were held in the Gambia on 18 October 2001. The result was a victory for the incumbent Yahya Jammeh, who took just over 50% of the votes....
held on 18 October of that year. He was defeated by incumbent President Yahya Jammeh
Yahya Jammeh
Alhaji Dr. Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh is the President of The Gambia...
and placed fourth out of five candidates, winning 3.8% of the vote.
Dibba then gave his support to Jammeh and his party, the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction
Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction
The Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction is a political party in The Gambia, founded by army officers who staged a coup in 1994. It was formed in 1996 to support army leader Yahya Jammeh's campaign for the 1996 elections....
, and after the legislative elections
Gambian parliamentary election, 2002
Parliamentary elections were held in the Gambia on 17 January 2002. They were boycotted by several opposition parties, including the United Democratic Party...
of January 2002, he was elected Speaker of the National Assembly at the first meeting of the new legislature on 3 February.
In April 2006, Dibba was arrested and dismissed as speaker; he was allegedly linked to the coup attempt against Jammeh in the previous month. Dibba and the NCP nevertheless backed Jammeh in the September 2006 presidential election
Gambian presidential election, 2006
The Gambian presidential election, 2006 was held on 22 September 2006. 670,000 Gambians registered to vote, and 59% of registered voters turned out to vote. Many of the 989 polling booths used marbles which were inserted into candidate drums instead of ballot papers due to the high illiteracy rate...
; Dibba himself was over 65 years old by this time and was therefore not eligible to run.
He died in June 2008.