By Makutu Manneh
Nenneh Cheyassin Secka Kebe, an aspiring vice president under the banner of the People’s Progressive Party (The Gambia), has publicly challenged Adama Barrow to debate the party’s presidential candidate, Saihou Sawo. But the country’s information minister dismissed the proposal, saying the president has no need to engage.
Ismaila Ceesay, the minister of information, media, and broadcasting services, said such a debate would be “impossible,” arguing that the president has already demonstrated his record in office.
The exchange follows a dispute between Ms. Secka Kebe and the minister over her claim that the country’s first lady spends 150,000 dalasis a day on food. Mr. Ceesay described the allegation as false, while Ms. Secka Kebe maintained that the figure was drawn from the national budget.
Speaking in an interview on West Coast Radio, Ms. Secka Kebe said the disagreement underscored the need for an open debate.
“We can have a debate tomorrow, if he wants—an open standing debate with the president,” she said. “Since Saihou Sawo is our flag bearer for the PPP, this is an open challenge to the president.”
Asked during the same program whether the government would accept the challenge, Mr. Ceesay rejected the idea.
“Who will debate with these people?” he said. “We cannot bring ourselves down to that level.”
The minister also questioned the opposition’s understanding of public finance, suggesting that the dispute over the budget reflected a lack of familiarity with basic budgeting principles.
He added that the government might only consider participating in a debate organized by a recognized institution, such as the Independent Electoral Commission (The Gambia).
“But people like this, we cannot debate them because obviously you are wasting your time and energy,” Mr. Ceesay said.
He said that Mr. Barrow’s record in office speaks for itself and predicted that voters would ultimately judge his performance at the ballot box.
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