Saihou Mballow, Political Adviser to President Adama Barrow
By Buba Gagigo
Saihou Mballow, Political Adviser to President Adama Barrow, has defended the president’s recent comments regarding Mandinka villages in Kiang not voting for him, explaining that the remarks were part of a private family discussion and were never intended to disrespect any ethnic group. According to Mballow, the conversation took place in Mansakonko and was not part of a public political rally.
Mballow explained that the meeting occurred at the request of elders from Kanikunda and Sankwia, who wanted to engage with President Barrow.
“The last day that we were supposed to come back, the elders of Kanikunda and Sankwia made a courtesy call on him (the president) that they want to meet and discuss with him and he agreed. They said they were with the president for a long time, since 2026, but they didn’t vote for him during the last election. They told him that they will support him now because it was a misunderstanding and the president said no problem,” he said.
He emphasized that the president reassured the elders that he was not upset by their decision not to vote for him.
“He told them there are many people benefiting in his government who didn’t vote for him. He told them any area he is not voted for he will know it through the data. That brought about the Kiang issue. He started telling them about the election data of 2021 that he knows about, and he is aware that they didn’t vote for him,” he said.
Regarding the mention of the Mandinka tribe, Mballow clarified that the conversation had been sparked by the Deputy Leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP), who encouraged Niani residents to support their ethnic relatives.
“During a discussion, the President has been hearing people saying they support Mandinkas. This includes the Deputy Party leader of UDP. Maybe this also is circulating and it’s going into people’s brains. He (Barrow) was telling them he being a Mandinka and Ousainou Darboe being a Mandinka, Ousainou is heading a party and he (Barrow) leads a party. So if you are going to follow what people are saying for you to support Mandinkas, am I not a Mandinka. This is what he (Barrow) said. This was a family discussion to tell them that listen, we are all the same and let’s forget about tribe,” he said.