23/03/2026
Never Again Network says No to Barrow’s Third Term Bid, Media Regulation Plans
By Dr Baba Jallow
The Never Again Network hereby declares for the public record that we are totally and unequivocally opposed to President Adama Barrow’s decision to seek a third term in office. We also join the chorus of voices opposed to the planned media regulation laws.
We are opposed to Barrow’s third term bid because it jeopardizes the short, medium or long-term peace, security and stability of The Gambia. We further believe that if he runs for a third term and wins, he is likely to seek a fourth, fifth and even sixth term. In the long run, his overstaying in power will inevitably cause insecurity and strife in this country.
We are opposed to Barrow’s third term bid because it represents a betrayal of his solemn promises to honor the 2016 coalition agreement. Barrow was chosen as the candidate for a coalition of political actors who spent 22 long years fighting a dictatorship that thrived on self-perpetuation and the abuse of the Gambian people and constitution. Unfortunately, once elected, Barrow broke the primary condition for which he was chosen as the 2016 coalition candidate, namely, that he would serve for only three years and organize and oversee fresh elections among the coalition partners and other interested parties. Barrow saw an opportunity to cling on to power and seized it, without regard for his coalition mandate of serving only three years. Yes, the 1997 constitution allowed him to do that. But truth, honesty, the integrity of the coalition agreement, and the supreme interests of the country did not permit him. Moreover, democratic governance is sustained not only by constitutional provisions, but also by democratic norms and respect for safeguards that prevent the abuse of political incumbency. Human trust is sacred and must be safeguarded, however tempting the urge to do otherwise. We oppose the negation of that trust.
We are opposed to Barrow’s third term bid because it represents a breaking of another promise he made to the Gambian people - the promise to ensure that term limits become an entrenched provision in our constitution. Barrow is on record assuring the Gambian people that he was a big fan of term limits, and admitting that if people overstay in power, they run out of ideas. Why does Barrow think that it is okay to break his promises to the Gambian people just because he can? This is a dangerous presumption that, sooner or later, will come back to bite him, and that could cause irreparable damage to our country. The president’s personal desire to stay in power simply because he can, and simply because power is sweet, should not negate the supreme interests of this country and jeopardize the long-term peace and security of the Gambian people. His third term bid is simply unjustifiable. Never Again to self-perpetuating and sit-tight leadership in The Gambia!
We are opposed to Barrow’s third term bid because it represents a repetition of part of our dark history under the Jammeh dictatorship. When Jammeh and his henchmen seized power on July 22, 1994, they assured the Gambian people that they were “not here to stay.” One of Jammeh’s favorite mantras in those early post-coup days was “we are not here to stay.” He further declared that no Gambian president will ever again be allowed to stay in power beyond ten years, that “in fact, ten years is too long.” In order to appease the Gambian people and the international community, he set up the National Consultative Committee (NCC) under the able chairmanship of the late and incorruptible Dr. Lenrie Peters. The NCC did nationwide consultations and in its report, which Jammeh readily accepted, recommended a transition period of two years. Jammeh set up a constitutional review commission that also came up with a new draft containing term limits. Jammeh readily accepted the CRC’s report but surreptitiously removed the term limits provision, giving us the current 1997 constitution. He then conveniently “retired” from the Army to contest the 1996 elections. It is to be noted that Jammeh further went on to have the 1997 constitution amended over fifty times to consolidate his stranglehold on power. Surely, the person elected to replace Jammeh should not play by the ousted dictator’s book. By seeking a third term in office, Barrow is playing Jammeh politics.
We are opposed to Barrows third term bid not because we doubt his capacity to serve as president; or because we disregard the achievements of his administration in some notable areas. However, we know that if Barrow can do it, another person can do it as well as he is, or even better. During Jawara’s days, people said, and he believed, that he was the only Gambian capable of serving as president. Jammeh too, believed that he was the only Gambian capable of serving as president. And now, Barrow seems to believe that he is the only Gambian capable of serving as president. We submit that yes, Barrow has done and is doing relatively well; but that is no reason for him to cling on to power and by so doing, to jeopardize the long-term peace, security and stability of The Gambia. Barrow must do the right thing and allow the Gambian people to move on with their lives, their country, their history. We need to consolidate our democracy, not groom another sit-tight president.
At this point, we also seize this opportunity to say a BIG NO to the proposed media regulations. There is absolutely no rational justification to police the Gambian people’s freedom of expression. Government can choose to take action against any journalist who breaks the law. But until then, let our thoughts flow! Do not shackle our national imagination! Let us have a free marketplace of ideas. Only backward and repressive regimes muzzle their citizens’ freedom of expression. We like to think that Barrow does not see his government as backward and regressive, and does not want his government to be seen as backward and regressive. We therefore hope he and his blind loyalists will listen to the voice of reason and abandon the nefarious plan to muzzle Gambian creativity and expression through these planned regressive measures. We call on the international community to join us in saying “No to needless press and public censorship in this country!”
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