When Gambians went to the polls in December 2016, they did not merely vote out a president; they voted for a new democratic beginning. The election that ended Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year rule was a collective rejection of impunity, constitutional manipulation, and personal rule disguised as governance. At the heart of that transition was a solemn promise: NEVER AGAIN would The Gambia be held hostage by one individual’s ambition.
It is against this backdrop that any discussion of President Adama Barrow’s reported interest in a third term must be situated. This is neither a personal debate about Adama Barrow as an individual not his cronies but a national conversation about democratic ethics, constitutionalism, and the soul of the Gambian state.
As the political philosopher Montesquieu warned, “It is a perpetual experience that every man invested with power is apt to abuse it.” That is precisely why modern democracies erect guardrails and chief among them, presidential term limits.
The Spirit of the Transition Matters More Than Legal Technicalities
Defenders of a third term bid often rely on legalistic arguments: that the 1997 Constitution permits it, or that Barrow’s first term under a coalition arrangement should not “count.” But democracy is not sustained by legality alone. It is sustained by legitimacy, trust, and moral restraint.
The 2016 transition was anchored on a clear understanding, publicly stated and widely believed that the new leadership would break decisively from the Jammeh era, not merely in rhetoric, but in conduct. The promise of limited tenure was central to rebuilding confidence in the presidency as an institution, not a personal possession.
As former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan aptly noted, “No one leader, no matter how powerful, can take the place of strong institutions.” A third-term bid undermines this principle by personalizing power and weakening the culture of leadership renewal.
Why a Third Term Is Undemocratic in Practice
Even where constitutions are silent or ambiguous, democratic norms fill the gap. Across Africa and beyond, third-term bids have become synonymous with democratic backsliding. A classic case was Senegal, our next neighbor. They often begin with assurances and end with weakened institutions, polarized societies, and contested elections.
Therefore, a third term for President Barrow would be undemocratic not merely because of the number of years involved, but because it betrays the logic of the transition:
1. It normalizes prolonged incumbency, discouraging internal party democracy and the
emergence of new leadership.
2. It erodes electoral fairness, as incumbency brings disproportionate access to state
resources, security apparatus, and media influence.
3. It signals that power is something to be held onto, not something to be temporarily
entrusted and then relinquished.
James Madison warned long ago that “The accumulation of all powers… in the same hands…may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.” While The Gambia may not yet be there, the road often begins with small justifications.
Echoes of the Jammeh Era: A Dangerous Precedent
The comparison with the Jammeh era is not made lightly, nor is it an accusation of identical conduct. Rather, it is a warning about patterns.
Yahya Jammeh did not begin his rule as a dictator in the eyes of all Gambians. Over time, constitutional manipulation, extended rule, intolerance of dissent, and personalization of state power became normalized. What sustained that system was not brutality alone, but the gradual erosion of limits.
A third term bid risks reviving that dangerous logic: that leadership is indispensable, that continuity must trump accountability, and that national stability depends on one man’s presence.
As the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe observed, “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.” The deeper lesson is that leadership failure often begins when leaders refuse to know when to step aside. They often tempt to listen more to their inner circle rather than the ordinary citizens.
Implications for National Unity and Political Stability
The Gambia is a small country with a fragile democratic culture still in its infancy. Any action that deepens political division must be treated with caution. A third-term bid would almost certainly:
Polarize the electorate, reviving old fault lines from the post-Jammeh transition.
Demoralize young people, many of whom already feel excluded from meaningful
political participation.
Undermine confidence in reforms, including constitutional review, security sector reform, and transitional justice.
Democracy thrives on predictability. When rules appear to shift to accommodate incumbents, citizens begin to disengage or worse, lose faith altogether.
As Barack Obama once cautioned African leaders, “No one wants to be president for life.”
Leadership, he stressed, is about building systems that last beyond you.
What It Portends for Posterity
Perhaps the most troubling consequence of a third-term bid is its message to future generations.
What lesson will young Gambians learn?
That promises are flexible.
That power, once attained, must be defended at all costs?
That democratic transitions are temporary interruptions rather than permanent commitments.
Posterity judge’s leaders not by how long they ruled, but by what they left behind. Nelson Mandela is revered not because he could have stayed longer, but because he chose not to. His greatness lay in restraint.
If President Barrow truly wishes to cement his legacy as the man who led The Gambia away from authoritarianism, the most powerful statement he could make is not another campaign but a clear commitment to democratic succession.
Conclusion: Democracy Demands Self-Limitation
The question before the nation is not whether Adama Barrow can contest again, but whether he should.
True democratic leadership requires the courage to let go. It demands faith in institutions, in citizens, and in the future beyond oneself. A third term bid risks reopening wounds that have not fully healed and dragging the nation backward toward a political culture Gambians decisively rejected in 2016.
As history has repeatedly shown, democracy dies not always with a coup, but often with applause for overstay.
The Gambia deserves better. Posterity will remember those who chose principle over power.
God bless The Gambia
Alkali M. Dibba
Right Activist & Peace Advocate
A Gambian base in California (USA)
