By Mama A. Touray
President Adama Barrow has disclosed that he considered stepping down but was advised by his party members that the National People’s Party was not yet ready for him to hand over leadership to someone else.
Barrow shared this during an interview on QTV’s State of Affairs programme when he was asked if he intended to seek a third term in the upcoming presidential election. He confirmed that he would indeed run for a third term.
“Yes. I will give you a direct answer, yes. It is not about President Barrow; it’s about my party. My part is a very young party, and I don’t want my party to die at an infant stage,” he said, adding “my party is very young and I don’t think we are that much organised to that level to afford losing their leader, so that is why as a leader and secretary general of the party, my entire team feels that the party is too young for me to hand over the baton”.
Barrow emphasized that the decision was not based solely on the size of the party but rather on its maturity and development.
“For me, I think it’s time [to step down] but all of them think that it’s too early for me to leave and they also think if I leave now, I am killing the party, and I don’t want to kill this party.
“I started this party so I want this party to be an institution, and I want it to continue for the next hundred years and for it to be relevant in Gambian politics and all of them feel that I should be the one [to] lead,” he said.
President Barrow highlighted the reasons he should not run for a third term, stating that he believes he has nothing left to prove in Gambian politics. He remarked, “[There are] two reasons I can mention. First, I defeated a dictator who was here for twenty-two years. You and I thought no one could defeat Yaya Jammeh, especially through the ballot box. [However,] God brought me, and I was able to defeat him.”
In the Afrobarometer survey, it was indicated that many people believe the country is not headed in the right direction. This sentiment suggests that President Barrow is unlikely to win the upcoming election. However, Barrow responded by stating that such opinions are subjective. He pointed to a report from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), which predicts that he will win the election.
“These are all opinions. So, to me, I am confident that I am doing a good job. I think I have not done anything that will warrant Gambian people to sack me. I am not killing anybody, and I am not going against the law. I am not using executive powers against anybody,” he said.
According to Barrow, his administration is guiding this country in the right direction and developing and implementing unprecedented landmark projects, such as road construction, electricity supply, school and health infrastructure, as well as a 110% increase in salaries.
“With all these achievements, [do] you think people will choose somebody else over me? I don’t think so, but it’s the Gambian people who will decide [and I] am very confident that I will win the 2026 election. Maybe this time with a bigger margin. I will defeat my father again,” he said.
