Pierre Sarr N'Jie
Pierre Sarr N'Jie | |
|---|---|
United Party | |
| In office 1952–1977 | |
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 1966 – 1 July 1972 | |
| Constituency | Bathurst North |
| In office 1960–1966 | |
| Constituency | New Town East |
| Member of the Legislative Council from Bathurst | |
| In office 1954–1960 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 July 1909 United Party |
| Alma mater | King's College London Lincoln's Inn |
Pierre Sarr N'Jie (17 July 1909 – 11 December 1993) was a
Early life and government employment
N'Jie was born in
Studies in England and legal career
Having failed to secure alternative employment in the Gambia, he left for the United Kingdom to study medicine at King's College London. However, he said "I only stayed there a short time. I was to be a doctor, but I don't like blood."[2] In September 1943, he began legal training at Lincoln's Inn, one of the Inns of Court. In 1948, he became the first Wolof to be called to the bar. He returned to the Gambia in 1949 to set up his own firm in Bathurst. His main success was in conveyancing land between Africans and Lebanese. In September 1958, the deputy judge of the Supreme Court of the Gambia, Myles John Abbott, disbarred N'Jie from the legal profession for one of these deals. This decision was set aside by the West African Court of Appeal in June 1959, on the grounds that a deputy judge had no jurisdiction in the matter. In May 1961, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council ruled that the deputy judge's initial decision should be upheld in a case known as The Attorney-General of the Gambia vs Pierre Sarr N'Jie.[1][3]
Political career
N'Jie first stood for election in the
In the first election to the
During his term as Chief Minister, N'Jie was involved in early negotiations with the Senegalese government over the Gambia's long-term future. He remained as Chief Minister until the 1962 election, when the PPP won a clear victory, although N'Jie retained his New Town East seat. N'Jie became the Leader of the Opposition, while Dawda Jawara became the first Prime Minister of the Gambia. The United Party challenged the election results in the courts, alleging that the register of voters had been invalid. The claim was upheld by the West African Court of Appeal in April 1963, but N'Jie dedicated much of his time until Gambian independence trying to persuade the British government to call a new election. In his absence, the United Party went into decline, with a number of its members joining the PPP.[1]
Returning to work in the Gambia in January 1965, N'Jie successfully organised the 'no' vote in the 1965 republic referendum but failed to repeat this success in the 1966 election. Although he won his own seat of Bathurst North, he did not prevent a PPP victory. N'Jie's popularity waned into the late 1960s, and shortly after the 1970 republic referendum, a result he refused to success, on 8 May he was dismissed as the leader by his party's executive committee. He was replaced by his brother, E. D. N'Jie, but after his death on 19 October, the United Party was obliged to reinstate N'Jie. He failed to provide inspiring leadership, and despite winning his own seat again in 1972, only two other United Party members were elected besides him. He was expelled from the House of Representatives in 1972 for nonattendance of two consecutive meetings. Despite remaining party leader, he took little more part in political life, and by 1977 seldom ventured out of his home. He died at the age of 84 on 11 December 1993.[1]
Personal life
N'Jie converted to
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Hughes, Arnold (2008). The Historical Dictionary of the Gambia. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. pp. 166–168.
- ^ a b "Berkeley Rice on Pierre Sarr N'jie (Excerpts from Enter Gambia, Birth of an Improbable Nation)". The Standard. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
- ^ "Attorney-General of the Gambia vs Pierre Sarr. N'Jie". Center for Judgements of the Nigerian Court of Justice. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
