By Fatou Sillah
Ahmad Gitteh, a senior member of the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) and adviser at the Ministry of Digital Economy, said President Adama Barrow should be re-elected in 2026, arguing that his administration has upheld fundamental rights in The Gambia.
In an interview with Star TV, Gitteh said Gambians should consider returning Barrow to office in recognition of what he described as the protection of civil liberties under his government.
“President Barrow has given people their fundamental human rights; the least we could do for him is to retain him in 2026,” he said.
Addressing the debate over presidential term limits, Gitteh said Gambian law does not restrict the number of times a president may seek office.
“He has the right to seek the presidency one million times; the country’s laws did not deny anybody. If you want, you can be president one billion times,” he said.
He added that efforts to prevent a candidate from running, where the law permits it, would itself be unlawful. “If the law did not stop somebody from doing something, if you want to stop that person, then you will be violating the law, and there are punishments for that,” he said.
Gitteh also addressed speculation about the possibility of a united opposition front ahead of the election, saying there was no indication such a coalition would materialize and expressing confidence in his party’s prospects.
“There is no indication that the opposition will come together, and even if they do, we will defeat them,” he said.
On security issues, he urged restraint in public criticism of the police, warning that it could undermine public confidence in law enforcement institutions.
“Security is very important in this country. If you make people belittle the police, everybody is insulting them, and no one is standing up for them. That is not good for the country’s security,” he said.
He added that while he did not support abusive conduct by law enforcement, grievances should be addressed through appropriate channels. “I am not advising the police to use brutality, but even if the police did wrong, there are ways to address it,” he said.
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