The National Assembly members on Friday rejected the appointment of President Adama Barrow’s nominee for the position of Ombudsman on the grounds that “he is not the right person for the role”.

Babucarr A. Suwareh, an educationist, was recently appointed by President Barrow in consultation with the Public Service Commission.

Suwareh’s appointment, in line with the constitution, required the approval of the National Assembly.

The Public Appointment Committee of the National Assembly which overseen the scrutiny of the nominee’s suitability for the role concluded that Mr Suwareh was “not qualified for the job”.

Samba Jallow, chairman of the Committee, told the National Assembly that the appointment to the role must consider “a person’s knowledge in law and investigations.

“The entire work of the Ombudsman deals with investigation and complaints; it deals with legal work.

“That is why we think a person who should be appointed as an Ombudsman should have a legal mind. That is common sense… This is not about rejecting for the sake of it. We want the President to nominate the right person.”

The Vice President Isatou Touray, who was present at the National Assembly, disagreed with the position taken by the lawmakers. She said Suwareh was the right choice for the Ombudsman role.

“To say that he is not qualify, I said no… He is qualified. He has 33 years of experience within the education system,” Vice President Touray said.

The lawmakers voted unanimously to reject the nominee for the role of Ombudsman.