Dr Ismaila Ceesay has said it is not a crime to meet the president and has rubbished claims by critics he met President Adama Barrow to lobby for a job.
“We never discussed about a job, there was no job offer whatsoever, nothing in our discussions talked about a job in fact,” Dr Ceesay told The Fatu Network Wednesday while confirming meeting President Barrow.
The CA leader said he met the president to congratulate him on his electoral victory and to assure him of CA’s support in his second term.
Dr Ceesay said: “I met the president and then I met the president. It’s not a crime to meet the president. [The meeting was] to congratulate the president and to extend our goodwill like I wrote and to show that he’s got the confidence of the Gambian people, to assure him that we are ready to support him in his five year mandate, that he not failed the Gambian people. I think as citizens of this country, we can be in opposition and then help the president to fulfill his mandate to the people.”
Regarding his critics, the political scientist added: “I think critics have a right to critique and make their opinions. Like I always say, I don’t have any control with what critics say. What I have control over is my actions.
“If we are looking for a job, we will not go and form CA. From the onset, we will go and join the president’s bus, it was easier for us to do that. But we did not. We believe in values, we believe in principles and we think that now time is over for politics.
“We will still hold the president to account if we think that where he goes wrong. We are still reminding him of his responsibilities, to implement the TRRC for example, to make sure that the security sector reform is going on. But again critics can say whatever they think, that’s their opinion and we respect critics’ opinion.”
