NPP Councillor Maimuna Jallow Accuses Energy Sector Leaders of Sabotaging Electricity Ahead of Election

By Fatou Sillah

Maimuna Jallow, an NPP councillor for Niamina West, has accused officials in The Gambia’s energy sector of deliberately undermining the country’s electricity supply as the 2026 presidential election approaches.

Speaking about the recent power disruptions, Jallow questioned why electricity problems had become more pronounced in the run-up to the election, arguing that the timing warranted scrutiny.

“The electricity crisis is sabotage by leaders ahead of the election,” she said.

Jallow did not provide evidence to substantiate the allegation, but said she found it difficult to understand why widespread outages would occur simultaneously without other factors being involved.

“If they really have The Gambia at heart, President Barrow put them in power,” she said. “Before the elections were approaching, all these electricity crises were not happening. So why is it suddenly happening when elections are fast approaching? That is fishy.”

She also pointed to power outages that occurred during recent youth-led protests over electricity shortages, saying the timing raised further questions.

“When the youths were protesting, electricity went out at once,” she said. “That is a big question mark that something is fishy.”

Jallow also questioned the scale of protests over electricity shortages in the Greater Banjul Area, saying she believed the circumstances surrounding the crisis deserved closer examination.

Despite the ongoing power problems, Jallow defended President Adama Barrow, saying she believes he is doing his best to improve electricity supply across the country.

She also expressed confidence in Barrow’s prospects in the 2026 presidential election.