It is deeply concerning to learn that the Gambia Police Force has reportedly suspended political party activities across the Greater Banjul Area and West Coast Region because of President Adama Barrow’s ongoing “Meet the People” tour. Both Unite and NDP have publicly indicated that they received information to this effect.
Although the police have yet to publicly clarify the reported decision, if confirmed, such a blanket restriction would be unconstitutional, unprofessional, unreasonable, and a serious threat to political impartiality.
Civil and political rights including freedom of expression, assembly, association, and political participation, cannot simply be suspended because the President is undertaking official activities, which are themselves an exercise of those same rights. The police have a responsibility to protect the rights and security of all citizens and political actors simultaneously.
The President can only be physically present at one location at a time. It is therefore difficult to justify prohibiting political activities across two vast administrative areas — the Greater Banjul Area and the West Coast Region combined — merely because of his tour. Legitimate security concerns must be addressed through lawful, necessary, and proportionate measures, not indiscriminate restrictions.
This decision is particularly troubling during an election period, when political parties and candidates must engage voters, communicate their programmes, and compete on an equal footing. While the President is ostensibly on a constitutionally guaranteed official tour, it is no secret that it has also featured extensive NPP political mobilisation and campaigning for his re-election, with the NPP and its allies enjoying favourable treatment.
If opposition parties are prevented from holding political activities while the President and his political allies continue campaigning, this creates unequal opportunities for electoral participation and raises serious concerns about the impartiality of law enforcement. This is a direct threat to free, fair, and credible elections.
The Inspector General of Police must recognise that the Gambia Police Force is a national institution serving all Gambians and not any particular political party, candidate, or government. Its constitutional and professional obligations require impartiality, respect for fundamental rights, and equal application of the law. The IGP is required to be impartial, professional, and law-abiding, and must not favour any party or candidate, including the President, over others.
I therefore urge the IGP to immediately clarify and give reasons for the reported directive publicly and, if confirmed, lift this ban, which is draconian and unreasonable. The police should instead put in place appropriate security arrangements to facilitate peaceful political activities by all stakeholders.
Should the restriction remain in force, I urge the Inter-Party Committee and affected political parties to pursue appropriate legal action to challenge its lawfulness.
The President’s security must be protected. So must the constitutional rights of every other Gambian. These responsibilities are not mutually exclusive. The days when the police were used by the state to deny opposition parties the right to campaign should have ended since January 2017.
Free, fair, and credible elections require equal political freedoms, impartial policing, and a level playing field. No candidate, including an incumbent President, should enjoy preferential treatment at the expense of others. Never Again.
The police must protect democracy, not restrict political competition. This decision is unjustifiable and dictatorial, and it must be condemned.
For The Gambia. Our Homeland.
By Madi Jobarteh
