National Assembly Member for Banjul North, Hon. Modou Lamin B. Bah, has issued an urgent public statement declaring that he will not be silenced after leading what he described as the city’s first peaceful candlelight protest. He claimed his life and work are now in danger as a direct result. He put the international community on notice that he holds President Adama Barrow personally responsible if anything happens to him or his family.
Bah said his only “offense” was representing his constituents through a lawful, dignified gathering of ordinary Gambians who demanded honesty, dignity, and respect in governance. He said participants held candles, not weapons, and sang for justice, not violence. He maintained the protest was conducted with prior notification and fully exercised rights guaranteed under Section 25 of the 1997 Constitution.
“A President who sees a peaceful candlelight protest as a threat to the state, rather than as a voice of the people, has lost touch with the people,” Bah wrote. He called on the Inspector General of Police to guarantee his and his family’s security, the Speaker and National Assembly leadership to defend parliamentary immunity, and the National Human Rights Commission, Gambia Bar Association, civil society, religious leaders, and media to stand for justice. He further urged ECOWAS, the African Union, the United Nations, the European Union, and diplomatic missions to monitor what he described as a deteriorating space for dissent.
The statement follows remarks attributed to President Barrow during a public engagement in Banjul.
According to accounts of the event, Barrow criticized Bah for accompanying young people to State House, calling the demonstration a “serious crime” and a “treasonable offense.” He reportedly recalled that former President Yahya Jammeh would have responded with deadly force, stating that under Jammeh “he would have shot all of them, including the National Assembly member.” Barrow was also quoted as warning Bah that this was “the last time” and that if he participated again, “What we do to him, he will not forget until his death.” The president further accused Bah of working against his constituents’ interests and urged voters to replace him.
The protest itself arose amid prolonged electricity outages that left residents of Banjul and other areas frustrated. Young people took to the streets with candles to express anger over the failure of a basic public service, according to opposition accounts. Critics of the government argue that Barrow used his Meet the People’s Tour—intended for constitutional engagement—to intimidate an elected representative rather than address the underlying service failures.
In a separate statement, Saikou Camara, UDP Admin Secretary for Media and Communications, described Barrow’s comments as an attack on democracy and the rule of law. Camara argued that the president and his allies have repeatedly used publicly funded tours to attack political opponents and that invoking the prospect of protesters being shot dead under a former dictatorship is incompatible with democratic leadership. He called on Gambians to reject Barrow’s third-term ambitions and to vote on December 5, 2026, for accountability and national renewal. “If a president can threaten an elected representative today, no ordinary citizen can be certain they will be safe from intimidation tomorrow,” Camara wrote.
Bah closed his statement by telling constituents of Banjul North not to fear, noting that “a single candle can light a whole city.” He affirmed that he remains resolute and their servant.
