By Omar Bah
Information Minister Dr Ismaila Ceesay has declared that President Adama Barrow will run for re-election in 2026 and he is confident he will win.
Speaking on GRTS Good Morning Show on Monday, Dr Ceesay emphasised that Barrow has a legal right to contest and dismissed concerns about term limits, stating: “Barrow will contest, and Gambians will vote for him, and he will win”.
According to the minister, President Barrow’s administration has delivered development without threatening or harming citizens.
“The NPP Grand Coalition is positioning Barrow as a strong contender for 2026, banking on his development record and legal standing, while opposition voices continue to challenge the legitimacy and morality of a third term bid. But if you think the president should not contest, bring proofs as to why he should not,” he said.
Dr Ceesay wondered why anyone should try to stop someone from contesting just because you hold a different opinion. “They are campaigning for him not to run because they know he will beat them”, he teased the opposition.
Corruption
On the persistent allegations and perception of corruption in the government, Minister Ceesay said the measures taken by government to fight corruption are unprecedented and unrivaled by any government before it.
“For the first time in the history of this country, we have an anti-corruption commission to start work as soon as the commissioners have already been identified and will be sworn-in soon. This is a clear demonstration of government’s commitment to fight corruption. Also, there is the Access to Information Law which is another manifestation of this government’s resolve to fight corruption, in addition to updating the procurement laws. Our procurement law is now more robust and more transparent, allowing no abuse or shortcuts. For the first time also, the National Audit Office has been given the liberty to go to any government ministry of agency to audit and publish reports, and where there are suspected cases, they are prosecuted by the competent authority,” the minister said.
He went on: “We have also seen how GRA has evolved in the areas of digitalisation eliminating any possible leakages and increasing its collection to over D1.7 billion a month. So all these are unprecedented corruption fighting measures”, Dr Ceesay added.
He added that the National Assembly has also been proactive in holding government accountable.
“Currently, there are nine to ten corruption cases with the police for prosecution,” he said.
Reacting to concerns that the president’s warning that those who attempt to destabilise the country will not be spared could sound as a threat, Dr Ceesay argued:“If you don’t have any hidden agenda to destabilise this country you shouldn’t have any issue with the president’s speech. He is referring to those who have a hidden agenda.”
