By: Ousman Saidykhan
President Adama Barrow has announced his intention to run in the 2026 Presidential Election. He cites the need to ensure the survival and long-term relevance of his National People’s Party (NPP) in Gambian politics and expresses concerns that stepping down at this stage could jeopardize the party’s future.
During an interview on QTV Gambia’s “State of Affairs” program, with Alieu Ceesay Barrow, who serves as both the leader and secretary general of the NPP, revealed that he had considered stepping aside.
However, he noted that party members have urged him to remain, arguing that his departure could harm the party’s stability.
“For me, I thought that it is time, but all of them, honestly speaking, if you talk to them they will tell you. All of them think that it is too early for me to leave. All of them think that if I leave now, then I am killing the party. And I don’t want to kill this party,” President Barrow stated.
Barrow’s decision to seek another term is framed as an effort to secure the NPP’s future and maintain its influence in the political landscape for the foreseeable future. His announcement sets the stage for what is expected to be an engaging political contest leading up to the 2026 election.
He said the decision to run again is not about him but the party. “My party is very young, and I don’t want my party to die at an infant stage. [My] party is very, very young.”
According to him, the NPP is not “that organized” to afford to lose its leader now. That is why, as the leader and secretary general of that party, his “entire team” feels the party is too young for him to hand over power.
“It’s not the size only; it’s the age of our party, the maturity of our party…So that is where we think it is very early… and we just don’t want to start a party, and the party dies immediately. We don’t want that,” said Barrow.
Meanwhile, President Barrow is confident that he will win the 2026 Presidential Election because he believes he is doing “a good job” by implementing “unprecedented projects” such as road infrastructure, electricity, schools, and health facilities.
He said, “I think I have not done anything that warrants the Gambian people to sack me. I’m not killing anybody, I have not gone against the law, I am not using executive powers…And I think also we are moving this country in the right direction. We are developing this country.”
Barrow claims he has nothing to prove again in the Gambia’s political scene, citing his defeat of the long-serving dictator, Yahya Jammeh, whom he defeated in the 2016 Presidential Election. He said nobody thought he would have ended Jammeh’s 22-year rule, especially through the ballot box.
“I prove myself during my term as president. The people around me, especially my own party, thought that it was because of them that’s why I was in power…that’s what they think. God said no, I will separate you two.
“Then I will open the game between the two of you. I contested against them; I defeated them again. So I have proven [n] myself for the second time. What do I need to prove again? ” said Barrow.
