Amadou Sankareh, NPP’s Holland Chapter Chairman
By Buba Gagigo
Amadou Sankareh, Chairman of the National People’s Party (NPP) Holland Chapter and the party’s Deputy Diaspora PRO, has publicly declared that he will not support President Adama Barrow beyond 2026.
His remarks come in response to President Barrow’s recent declaration on QTV that he intends to seek a third term in office. The president justified his decision by arguing that the NPP remains too young to lose his leadership at this stage.”For me, I thought that it is time, but all of them, honestly speaking, if you talk to them, they will tell you. All of them think that it is too early for me to leave. All of them think that if I leave now, then I am killing the party. And I don’t want to kill this party. My party is very young, and I don’t want my party to die at an infant stage, as my party is very, very young.”
However, Barrow’s statement has sparked widespread criticism, with many accusing him of prioritizing party interests over national concerns. His assertion that the NPP is too young to survive without him has also been met with skepticism, with critics questioning his leadership and governance capabilities.
Speaking from his base in Holland, Amadou Sankareh firmly rejected Barrow’s justification for seeking another term, emphasizing that he would not support the president beyond 2026 given the current state of affairs in The Gambia.
“The reasons stated by the president are unjustifiable and a clear affront to NPP militants, who he thinks cannot achieve much in his absence. I believed in leaders who mentored and always prepared to surrender the baton to their successors when the time arrived. The President’s statement suggests to me that there is no other person in NPP who can lead apart from him considering the number of young brains in that party, it’s unfair to hear the President make such an unjustifiable statement about his reason for contesting the 2026 election,” Sankareh argued.
Sankareh also criticized the current administration’s focus, noting that while substantial infrastructure projects have been implemented under Barrow, critical issues such as economic hardship and food insecurity remain unaddressed.
“I formed part of the Safe Gambia association; we always received calls day-in-day out from Gambians seeking support from us to feed their vulnerable families who are struggling with their daily meals.
“President Barrow is more focused on infrastructure than restoring the economy, and creating the environment for Gambians to leave in a decent economic atmosphere. After all, 10 years is enough for him as President, and he should be ready to leave power, not the other way around. After witnessing much infrastructural development from President Barrow, we now need a leadership that will stage a serious fight against economic hardship and alleviate our people from economic hardship and starvation. My people are starving, and we need a new leader to handle that situation who is different from Barrow,” Sankareh stated.
He further contended that a decade in office should be sufficient, and that the country now requires new leadership capable of tackling the economic challenges facing its citizens.
“I am not supporting the President’s third term, because it’s simply unnecessary and unjustifiable. Henceforth, I am withdrawing my support for him in his 2026 because the country needs a new face at the Presidency whose only focus will be to salvage the country from poverty and economic hardship. The President has shown us enough of his capabilities, so we need a different person.”
Sankareh, who backed Barrow in the 2021 election, clarified that his decision was based on the belief that Barrow was the best choice at the time. However, he now sees no justification for extending the president’s tenure beyond 2026.
“What can the President achieve beyond the ten years that former American President Barack Obama had not done for the people of the United States during his time? We have seen enough of the Barrow rule, so he should be ready to leave if his current term ends or lose people like me, who cannot support his third term bid,” he said.