Pastef party leader Ousmane Sonko publicly corrected former minister Maimouna Dièye following remarks she made at the party’s membership card launch event. The ceremony, held this Saturday in Khombole, Senegal, was the setting for the unexpected clarification.
Addressing party activists and supporters, Maimouna Dièye expressed her delight, stating, « J’ai le plaisir aujourd’hui d’être ici, mais surtout, de m’exprimer sous la présence de Seydina Ousmane Sonko Salalahou Aleyhi Wa Salam. » This particular religious invocation, used in conjunction with Sonko’s name, instantly prompted a response from the Pastef leader.
When it was his turn to speak, Ousmane Sonko made it clear he disapproved of this religious reference, emphasizing that such a phrase should never be attributed to him.
« The profound affection the population shows me can, at times, lead some individuals to go too far, » Sonko explained to the attentive audience. « My sister Maimouna Dièye, in her earlier address, mentioned my name and added Salalahou Aleyhi Wa Salam. I must intervene to correct this. »
The Pastef chief then reiterated that this specific religious formula is reserved exclusively for Prophet Mohammed.
« Let us reserve this invocation for Prophet Mohammad, » Ousmane Sonko firmly stated. « I have never reached that spiritual level, and I never will. » His words were met with widespread applause from the many militants present.
This public clarification occurred amidst the Pastef leader’s ongoing national tour, dedicated to his party’s membership card sales campaign. Following the event in Khombole, Sonko is scheduled to visit Bargny, Bambey, and Sébikhotane as part of this political mobilization effort across Senegal.
