Pastef rift: Ibrahima Diam Sow joins Diomaye coalition in Podor

Political dynamics in the Podor department have shifted with the exit of a local Pastef figure. Ibrahima Diam Sow, who served as the first coordinator of Pastef in Méri commune and presided over the Mouvement des Patriotes Soumis (MPI), publicly announced his break from the party led by Ousmane Sonko.

Formerly the party’s communications lead in the Podor area, Diam Sow cites fundamental disagreements with Pastef’s current direction. He points to what he calls “numerous contradictions” and criticizes an internal climate he describes as a “dictatorship of single thinking.” In his view, these developments have rendered the party’s political project unrecognizable to him.

In his new political alignment, the former cadre now endorses the Diomaye-Président coalition and pledges to support President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s agenda. He frames his stance with a guiding principle: “We place the homeland before the party.”

A foundational figure of Pastef in northern Sénégal, Diam Sow played a key role in establishing the party in that strategic area. He helped organize Ousmane Sonko’s first visit to the region in 2017 and took part in multiple mobilization campaigns alongside local political leaders, including Ibrahima Sy.