Sheriff Mustapha Dibba

Sheriff Mustapha Dibba ( born January 10, 1937 in Farafenni, † June 2, 2008 in Banjul) was a Gambian politician and former Speaker of the National Assembly of the country. He was chairman of the party's National Convention Party (NCP ).

Life

Dibba was Gambia's first vice president. He resigned his position in 1975 and founded later, the National Convention Party. After the elections in 1977, the NCP was the largest opposition party in the Gambia.

He was taken in 1981 arrest for alleged involvement in a foiled coup attempt, but released eleven months after his arrest again. A presidential election was on May 4, 1982 months after a constitutional amendment that allowed for direct election of the head of state of the country, held. Dibba was the incumbent president Dawda Jawara clearly defeated ( vote distribution: 27.6% to 72.4 %). He stepped back as presidential candidate of the NCP in 1987 and 1992, but reached only the second- most votes by Jawara.

After the fall of the government Jawara 1994, the NCP and other political parties were banned. The ban on the NCP was adopted in mid-2001 and Dibba came as opposition candidate in the presidential elections that took place on 18 October this year. He was defeated by incumbent President Yahya Jammeh, was the fourth of five candidates, reaching 3.8% of the votes cast.

Legislative elections were held in January 2002. At its first meeting on 3 February 2002, the deputies Dibba selected Speaker of the National Assembly.

Dibba died at the age of 71 on 2 June 2008 at the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital in Banjul from a heart attack.