Gambian information minister, Dr Ismaila Ceesay, has defended President Adama Barrow’s ‘death wish’ remarks against Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, insisting that people took the president’s words out of proportion.

President Adama Barrow on Saturday night caused a political backlash after vowing to remain in power until the main opposition leader of the United Democratic Party dies.

The remarks attracted much condemnations among Gambians. Political and opinion leaders have condemned the president’s rhetoric and demanded that he retracts his statement and apologises to Mr Darboe. 

However, Barrow’s supporters continued to defend the president. The latest government official to defend him is the minister for information, Dr Ismaila Ceesay, who maintained that Barrow shouldn’t apologise over his remarks. 

He noted that Barrow was responding to Darboe’s land “thief allegation” statements against him. 

“Apologise for what? Let people not blow this out of proportion. The President wouldn’t wish anybody harm, not even his enemies and Ousainou Darboe isn’t his enemy. So, people are blowing this out of proportion and interpreting it different way.

“So, the President (Adama Barrow) is focusing on his mandate and he might seek for another term in 2026. The President is a very harmless person and so religious that he wouldn’t wish bad for Ousainou Darboe and anyone else,” Dr Ceesay said.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba