"Municipal management deemed opaque, clientelistic, and detrimental to the interests of the community." This is the accusation leveled against the Tassette town hall (Thiès department) by the local branch of Pastef Les Patriotes, which, during a press conference held this Saturday, April 18, 2026, denounced "serious practices" and demanded an audit of the town hall's management.

Tidiane Diop, coordinator of the Pastef Les Patriotes section in the municipality of Tassette, and his colleagues denounce "extremely serious events." They say they have been witnessing "for several years a management style that amounts to the organized plundering of our municipality's resources" and are bringing to the attention of the public and the relevant authorities, particularly oversight bodies, "unorthodox practices that flout all the rules and procedures relating to municipal management."

Agreements signed between the PNDL and the Municipal Council

According to Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko's colleagues, "the substantial funds from agreements signed by the Mayor (while he was simultaneously serving as Executive Secretary of the PNDL from 2016 to 2024) have left no trace of concrete achievements on the ground." They then ask: "Where did the money intended for the development of Tassette go?" They cite, among other examples: 50 million FCFA for the construction of a Gendarmerie brigade in Tassette Peul; 50 million FCFA for an electrical extension in Tassette; and 15 million FCFA for a unit to purify and sell sachet water.

Land grabbing

The Pastef Les Patriotes section in the Tassette commune, citing an example in the village of Mbousnakh involving 20 hectares, refers to "deliberations that were carried out completely illegally and, more seriously, without going through the Municipal Council, thus violating the Code of Local Authorities." It also reports that "surveying fees of 400,000 FCFA per hectare have never been paid by the Thiès municipal tax office." As an example, it emphasizes that, for residential land, subdivisions have been carried out since 2016 without authorization, neither from the Municipal Council nor from the Regional Directorate of Urban Planning.

Tidiane Diop and his colleagues reiterate that, in accordance with the provisions of the Town Planning Code, particularly Articles L 273 et seq., "no one may undertake any type of subdivision without prior ministerial authorization." They note that they have recently observed that "the mayor is distributing land like bread rolls to further his political agenda." They also point out that "there is no information or committee involved at the council level, thus flouting all rules of transparency and ethics. The administrative acts he issues are unsigned by the administrative authority (Sub-Prefect)." They took the opportunity to congratulate and encourage the Minister of Urban Planning, Local Authorities, and Regional Development for his circular letter dated April 13, 2026, concerning the suspension of illegal subdivisions throughout the national territory.

Misappropriation of public funds

According to Pastef/Tassette officials, "solar streetlights intended for lighting neighborhoods and villages were fraudulently removed and installed on the road leading to the mayor's field, as well as others all around the field, inside his home and on his property." They say they have sent a letter to the Director General of ANER (National Electricity Agency) to rectify this "injustice compounded by blatant arrogance." Ousmane Sonko's supporters are demanding the immediate return of all these streetlights to the residents who, according to them, "still live without electricity or public lighting because this is Senegalese taxpayers' money."

Tidiane Diop and his colleagues continued: “The rural road projects have been the subject of manipulation. The Mayor claimed to have completed two rural roads, namely the Tassette-Guelor and Tassette-Sipane routes, totaling 20 km. In reality, 15 km had already been completed by the agricultural company Touba Fruit.” They are therefore demanding an audit of these contracts to determine “the actual amount spent on these roads,” especially since, they complain, “the Tassette-Guelor route remains impassable during the rainy season because it requires a bridge.”

The Patriots of Tassette also denounced the fact that "since his defeat in the 2024 presidential election, the mayor has boycotted municipal council meetings," which, they noted, constitutes "a de facto resignation." They pointed out that the Local Government Code is very clear regarding "absentee elected officials" and demanded, in light of this situation, "an immediate audit of the financial and land management of the Tassette town hall by oversight bodies, notably the Court of Auditors and the OFNAC (National Office for the Fight Against Fraud and Corruption)." Pastef/Tassette declared itself resolutely committed to "fighting injustice and the squandering of meager resources intended for the development of the locality, which deserves transparent management serving the sole interests of its citizens."