By: Kebba Ansu Manneh
In a strongly worded attack, Lamin Mondo Jatta, the Chief of Brikama North in the West Coast Region, has described members of the ‘No To Third Term’ campaign and the Gambian Against Looted Assets (GALA) movement as unpatriotic troublemakers bent on setting the country on fire.
Chief Jatta made the remarks on Thursday, 4th June 2026, on the sidelines of a day-long consultation forum organized by the National Council for Civil Education (NCCE) in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Brikama.
“The language of the constitution of The Gambia is very clear on the issue of term limits,” Chief Jatta declared. “The same laws that allowed Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara and Yahya Jammeh to contest multiple times are the same laws that will allow President Adama Barrow to contest up to a hundred times if he so desires.”
He urged Gambians not to listen to what he called “peddlers” of the ‘No To Third Term’ message, accusing them of violating the constitution by attempting to block President Barrow from legally seeking re-election.
“Nobody should listen to those peddling the idea of ‘No To Third Term’ for President Barrow because they are troublemakers whose only desire is to bring chaos into the country,” he said. “They are not good citizens of this country; they are the worst enemies of this country.”
A known and vocal supporter of President Barrow, Chief Jatta called on the leadership of the ‘No To Third Term’ movement to promote peace and stability rather than engage in what he described as illegal activities that could destabilize the nation. He insisted that the constitution fully supports the President’s right to contest elections as many times as he wishes until the term limit is amended.
Turning his attention to GALA, the chief alleged that external sponsors influence the group’s members.
“I would like to call on the GALA movement members to calm down, relax and understand that this country doesn’t belong to them alone but to all Gambians,” he said. “We have seen them fighting over the little money their sponsors outside sent to them. This shows that there are people outside who are asking them to go out and protest against the Government.”
Chief Jatta further claimed that the majority of Gambians are tired of the “non-stop protests” and warned that such actions must stop. He suggested that if GALA members want political power, they should register their own political party with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) rather than seek it through protests.
He also questioned GALA’s planned protest against the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC), asking whether the group had conducted any proper investigation into the utility’s problems. “Are they experts to know the problems of NAWEC?” he queried, urging them to allow peace to prevail instead of igniting violence in “this small country.”
Chief Jatta appealed to all Gambians to ignore calls from both movements, describing them as groups intent on disrupting peace and stability. He cautioned against the misuse of social media, citing the Rwandan experience as a warning against incitement that could lead to unrest.
Praising President Barrow’s leadership, the chief said the Gambian leader is a “man of peace and development” whose nine years in office have transformed the country “beyond imagination.” He called on citizens not to entertain any group whose aim is to derail national development.
The fiery comments by the influential traditional ruler have once again highlighted the deepening divide in Gambian politics over presidential term limits and the role of civil society movements in the country’s young democracy.
