Barrow Accuses UDP of Orchestrating Roadside Protests to Disrupt His Nationwide Tour

By Makutu Manneh

President Adama Barrow has accused the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) and other political opponents of organizing groups to heckle him along the routes of his ongoing Meet-the-People Tour, warning against what he described as attempts to disrupt his engagements with communities.

Speaking at a public meeting in Jabang, President Barrow alleged that opposition supporters had been deliberately positioning themselves along roads leading to his scheduled meetings, chanting slogans against him and calling for his defeat in the December presidential election.

The president suggested that the roadside demonstrations were part of a coordinated effort by his political opponents to undermine his tour. However, he offered no evidence to substantiate the allegation.

Mr. Barrow urged opposition parties to concentrate on campaigning and persuading voters rather than engaging in activities he characterized as disruptive.

He maintained that the outcome of the presidential election would be determined solely by Gambian voters, emphasizing that neither he nor any opposition leader had the authority to dictate the electorate’s choice.

“President Barrow cannot make this decision for them, Ousainu Darboe cannot, and nobody can,” he said, stressing that every eligible voter has an equal say at the ballot box.

The president also issued a pointed political challenge to his opponents, warning that their failure to actively campaign would hand him a decisive electoral advantage.

“If you do not campaign, I will defeat you so mercilessly that you wouldn’t forget because I am campaigning,” he declared.

His remarks underscore the increasingly confrontational rhetoric between the governing National People’s Party and its political rivals as the country approaches the December 5 presidential election.