President Adama Barrow said he lost to the opposition in most Mandinka communities in the Lower River Region (LRR) during the 2021 presidential election. As a Mandinka himself, he expressed his bewilderment at this outcome and urged the community to support his government, emphasizing that he is one of them.
President Barrow was speaking in a meeting with some elders from the Lower River Region (LRR) who sought his support in constructing a two-kilometer road.
“Last election, 2021 presidential election, starting from Pakaliba… I lost in all the polling stations in all the Mandinka communities. I did not win in any of the stations. That is deliberate. They all unanimously agreed,” President Barrow claims.
“Mandinkas, what have you done for me? I’m a Mandinka; Ousainou Darboe comes and tells you to support kindred. He is from Bansang: I’m from Mangkamang Kunda; who is your relative, between the two of us?” Barrow asks.
According to him, he lost in all Mandinka communities in the entire Lower River Region, adding that they should be mindful of this because it would not benefit them or take them anywhere.
“But would the Mandinkas oppose Jawara, oppose Yahya Jammeh, and oppose Adama Barrow? Will you continue like that?” Barrow asks while pleading.
While slamming Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, President Barrow claimed the UDP leader did not get any votes in his native Bansang.
“If you want to know someone, you ask his relatives or neighbors. But where he comes from, he never won there. Why does he not win there? You cannot know him better than those people.
“In Pipeline, where he casts his votes, I defeated him there. Why did his neighbors not vote for him? It is because they know him,” Barrow claimed.
Meanwhile, Barrow has promised that the two-kilometer road will be constructed as requested by the elders.
“But we are happy you have come, and you want us to work together. We are ready to work. The road that is just two kilometers is easy. I can construct that even if it is not in the Budget. Yes, my plans can get that done,” he said.
