A particularly charged atmosphere enveloped the National Assembly as Deputy Abdou Mbow addressed the chamber. From the podium, the parliamentarian painted a grim picture of the nation’s state, declaring unequivocally, « il y a une crise dans ce pays » (there is a crisis in this country).
During his address, Abdou Mbow specifically referenced the Customs and DAF departments, proceeding to condemn practices he asserted could severely jeopardize public finances.
The deputy controversially stated, « quand d’anciens Premiers ministres se permettent d’utiliser des fonds destinés à la Casamance pour des raisons politiques, ce pays est en danger » (when former Prime Ministers permit themselves to use funds designated for Casamance for political reasons, this country is in danger). These accusations, which he did not further substantiate, immediately prompted intervention from the President of the National Assembly, Ousmane Sonko.
On multiple occasions, the President of the National Assembly urged Mbow to « rester dans le thème » (stay on topic) as the deputy attempted to continue developing his argument.
Mbow then invoked a prior incident involving Guy Marius Sagna, contending that Sagna had also made remarks exceeding the scope of the subject under discussion during a previous intervention. « Guy Marius Sagna est un député. Il a parlé, attaqué le président » (Guy Marius Sagna is a deputy. He spoke, attacked the president), Mbow argued.
Ousmane Sonko once again interrupted Abdou Mbow, reiterating his demand to adhere to the topic. Nevertheless, the parliamentarian persisted, asserting that Guy Marius Sagna himself had « sorti du sujet » (strayed from the subject) without being prevented from completing his speech.
« Donc, je dis bien que, dans ce pays, il faudrait qu’on comprenne que nous avons un pays en danger » (Therefore, I firmly state that, in this country, we must understand that we have a country in danger), Abdou Mbow emphatically declared.
As the deputy remained unyielding, the exchange grew more heated. Ousmane Sonko then issued a stern warning: « Restez dans le thème ou vous quittez le pupitre » (Stay on topic or you leave the podium). The President of the National Assembly then added, « Je ne souhaite pas que vous le quittiez de la même manière que la dernière fois » (I do not wish for you to leave it the same way as last time), alluding to a previous incident involving the parliamentarian within the legislative chamber.
Abdou Mbow refused to yield, maintaining his stance on the management of public funds. « On ne peut pas détourner nos fonds publics, venir à l’Assemblée nationale se réfugier. Les gens le diront » (We cannot divert our public funds and then come to the National Assembly to seek refuge. People will speak of it), he concluded.