Saihou Mballow, Special Adviser on Political Affairs to President Adama Barrow
By Buba Gagigo
Saihou Mballow, Special Adviser on Political Affairs to President Adama Barrow, has asserted that if elections were held today in the Gambian diaspora, President Barrow would emerge victorious. He emphasized that both the President and the National People’s Party (NPP) are not opposed to diaspora voting.
“President Barrow has great respect for the constitution and the Gambian people. Chapter 5, specifically Section 39, states that every citizen aged 18 or older and of sound mind has the right to vote. That is the constitutional provision. We fully support diaspora voting because we are confident that if elections were held today among Gambians abroad, we would defeat the opposition. We would win in New York, Senegal, France—because Gambians in the diaspora deeply love their country,” Mballow stated in an interview with Teranga FM.
Speaking on his personal experience, Mballow noted his extensive knowledge of the diaspora, asserting that President Barrow would defeat any opponent in an election abroad.
“I don’t speak for others, but if President Barrow contests against anyone in the diaspora, he will win. Gambians abroad have achieved what they wanted—no one is being unlawfully detained or killed. So, why claim we fear losing the diaspora vote? That is not true. The discussion in Parliament is not about opposing diaspora voting but about ensuring proper mechanisms are in place. If diaspora voting is to be implemented, there must be a clear framework, including whether the diaspora should be recognized as its own electoral region. The diaspora spans Africa, Asia, North America, and Europe, and these logistical aspects need to be defined,” he explained.
Responding to remarks from the Secretary-General and Party Leader of the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC), Mballow questioned why Mama Kandeh did not sponsor a private member’s bill on diaspora voting during his decade in Parliament.
“I heard Mama Kandeh urging the diaspora to pressure their families to vote against Barrow. But he was an MP for ten years—why didn’t he introduce a bill to allow diaspora voting? Has he ever sponsored any bill? Never. That is my response to him. Political maturity is essential. We must also acknowledge who, in past elections, stood at the borders preventing Gambians from returning home to vote. It was not the NPP,” Mballow remarked.