Former ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction has swiftly rejected claims by one Sheriffo Sonko, a self-confessed member of a so far unidentified team of people who torched the party’s Kanifing headquarters in 2016, burning material including voters’ cards.

In an audio leaked last week, Mr Sonko claimed he was key member of the attack team and also alledged that current leader of the APRC Fabakary Tombong Jatta and former influential soldier General Saul Badjie were part of the plot.

But in a strongly worded statement of rebuttal, signed by General Secretary Fatoumatta  Jahumpa Ceesay  the party denied the allegations describing them as misleading and  threatened to take legal action on the matter.

“The APRC will take up the matter with the Inspector General of Police and further engage our legal experts to help us bring to justice anyone responsible,” the party said.

The party said the statement is “unruly and false”.

The APRC said “everyone knows that there were individual Gambians (names withheld) who already claimed responsibility for the attack on the bureau during interviews on the then Freedom Online Radio of the late Pa Nderry Mbai”.

The APRC party further described Mr Sonko’s statement as “absolutely misleading and pure fabrication calculated to sow a seed of discord and misunderstanding in the party’s hierarchy.

The statement stressed the party’s allegiance, confidence, loyalty, and support to its national leader who is currently the Speaker of the National Assembly.