Ousmane Sonko details the friction leading to his removal from the Prime Minister’s office

Following his dismissal as Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko has provided an account of the events and the growing rift with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye-Diakhar. In a detailed address, he outlined the fundamental disagreements that strained their political partnership and shared his previous attempts to resolve the situation within the Sénégal government.

This Tuesday, Ousmane Sonko addressed the public to clarify the circumstances surrounding his exit from the executive branch. Only hours after the official announcement, the former head of government recounted his personal version of the discussions held with the Head of State, Bassirou Diomaye Faye-Diakhar.

The PASTEF leader suggested that the tension between the two figures was not a recent development. According to his statement, the direction taken over the last two years had deviated from the original vision of “The Project.” This misalignment, he noted, had led to internal discussions about his potential removal long before the final decision was made.

Discussions at the Presidential Palace

Despite the friction, Ousmane Sonko explained that he remained in his role to prevent a total political collapse. He recalled that following his address to the National Assembly last Friday, he was summoned to the Presidential Palace for a private meeting with the President.

During this encounter, the President reportedly expressed that continuing their collaboration would be difficult, citing specific public statements made by the Prime Minister as problematic. Sonko’s response was that the final decision rested entirely with the Head of State. He also emphasized that he did not want their meeting to be misconstrued as a search for a compromise, insisting that it was a formal exchange of positions rather than a negotiation.

Proposals to step down

The former Prime Minister revealed that he had proactively offered to vacate his position on several occasions. He suggested moving to the National Assembly to ensure that his presence at the Primature did not hinder the President’s leadership or the administration’s progress.

Sonko claimed he made this offer at least three times, suggesting that another member of the PASTEF party could take over the role of Prime Minister. He mentioned that Minister Alioune Sall was present during some of these conversations. Despite these proposals, the President had initially declined to act on them.

The narrative concluded with Sonko explaining that after their last meeting, the President requested time to deliberate. Shortly after returning home, Sonko received a message from the Head of State informing him that a decision had been reached. The official announcement of his dismissal, delivered by Oumar Samba Ba, followed soon after.