By: Momodou Gagigo
President Adama Barrow has publicly dismissed Dr. Lamin Manneh’s political credentials, questioning the depth of his long-standing commitment to the United Democratic Party (UDP) and suggesting that Manneh’s recent political activity is driven mainly by personal ambition for office.
Addressing a rally in the Lamin-Busumbala area, Barrow told supporters that Minister Ebrima Sillah need not worry about Manneh as a rival. The president said he was confident that election results would create a sharply different political reality for those currently challenging his camp.
Barrow argued that, despite Manneh’s present claims of strong loyalty to the UDP, the latter had been largely absent during some of the party’s most difficult years. He specifically recalled the 2016 imprisonment of UDP leader Ousainou Darboe and other party members, stating that he could not remember seeing Manneh actively supporting the party at that time.
“I am an executive member of the UDP for over ten years,” Barrow declared. He added that he had served as the party’s treasurer and had never heard of any significant contributions or support from Manneh during those years.
The president further questioned Manneh’s motives for entering active politics, portraying him as someone more interested in securing a political position than in genuine service to the country. Extending his criticism, Barrow alleged that after Darboe’s departure from the former coalition, a wider group of political actors had already discussed and divided government positions among themselves. These discussions, he claimed, went beyond senior posts and reached even lower-level appointments.
Barrow asked whether such “position seekers” would truly be prepared to work for the nation if elected. He concluded by voicing strong confidence in his own political camp’s prospects, predicting that the results delivered by election agents on polling day would surprise those who currently believe they hold a clear electoral advantage.
The remarks come as political parties and emerging movements intensify preparations for the next presidential election, with issues of experience, loyalty and personal ambition featuring prominently in the national discourse.
