By Fatou Sillah
The Minister of Information, Media, and Broadcasting Services, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, has confirmed in an interview with West Coast Radio that President Adama Barrow will seek re-election in 2026, asserting that no political movement can prevent his candidacy.
“2026 Barrow will stand; nobody should even start that campaign because you will fail woefully. And I don’t think they should waste their time in such a useless campaign. Barrow is contesting, and nobody can stop it. Nobody can stop it except Nature,” he said.
He emphasized that efforts to block President Barrow’s candidacy are unlawful and described campaigns against his third term as “dead on arrival.”
“I think that movement is dead upon arrival because the debate is not about who should contest; that is a legal issue. Who contests in the election is not our decision as citizens; it is the law,” he said. “What we have control over and who we should vote for and why we should vote for that person is up to us,” he explained.
Dr. Ceesay also highlighted President Barrow’s strong political position, noting that opposition parties acknowledge it. According to him, a united opposition would be the only scenario capable of making the election competitive.
“Even the opposition are saying that he is going to win; the only thing they can do to challenge him so that he gets a run for his money is when they all unite on one platform,” he said.
Addressing public frustrations, Dr. Ceesay urged citizens to temper criticisms of the government, pointing out that all nations face challenges. “Whenever there is a slight challenge—no country goes through 365 days without challenges, every country has a challenge. We cannot be blaming the government for every challenge that we are facing,” he added.