By Omar Bah
President Adama Barrow has emphasised his readiness to face any opponent, including his main rival, Ousainou Darboe of the United Democratic Party (UDP, in the 2026 presidential elections.
“I want to tell them (UDP) that I will be the candidate in 2026 and let me see whether they will be able to remove me. Gambians are not stupid, they know who is working and who is not. The UDP is advocating for a term limit when they know very well that there is no term limit in The Gambia. If you are a player, and I am a player, it is only the referee that can decide, based on the rules.But you cannot be a player just like me, and wants to say I will not play in the game. You cannot decide for the NPP who they should choose as their flagbearer, that responsibility is in the hands of the members of the party,” Barrow said in an interview with his NPP media at his residence in Mankamang Kunda.
President Barrow also said he is confident that Ousainu Darboe will be the UDP candidate, but “I want to assure him that if I am done with him this time around, he will not bounce back.”
Journalists case
On Darboe’s accusation that IGP Seedy Touray is being used by him because he is his in-law to prosecute the two journalists from The Voice, Barow asked whether in a country governed by law, a citizen cannot go to court if he or she is aggrieved. “If this was Yahya Jammeh, he would not even go to court but send the journalists straight to Mile 2. So, he (Darboe), who is enjoying the new-found democracy, should not encourage otherwise. He was a victim of the Jammeh administration if he sees us doing the right thing and promoting the principles of democracy by going to court, he should be encouraged by that,” Barrow said.
The president said ironically Darboe himself is going to court, challenging the appointment of his governors “Is that not democracy? And when all these advisers were being appointed he Darboe was in government and did not raise any objection at the time,” Barrow said.
Barrow said if he were in Darboe’s position, his conscience would not have given him the guts to do what Darboe did.
“I cannot accept something today and reject it tomorrow to the extent of going to court. It is shameful and selfish. You were selfish because, at the time, you were only following your interests and how to protect your position. You should have addressed those things then, even if it would mean losing your position,” Barrow told Darboe.
He also rejected Darboe’s claim that his government is building hospitals ”without doctors and medicine.”
