Henry Gomez, leader of the Gambia Party for Democracy and Progress (GPDP), has come to the strong defense of President Adama Barrow, arguing that the nation’s mounting challenges should not be placed at the president’s feet.
Speaking before a large crowd of National People’s Party (NPP) supporters at the Sukuta Football Field, Gomez accused senior government officials of failing to perform their duties and said they, not the president, deserve the blame for the country’s problems.
“If things go wrong in this country, it is not the president’s fault; it is the fault of Gambians themselves,” Gomez told the cheering supporters.
He questioned why the public continues to hold Barrow responsible for every failure when, according to him, ministers and director generals are the ones charged with running government institutions.
“We have ministers and director generals who are appointed to serve the nation, so why should we always blame the president when things go wrong?” he asked.
Gomez emphasised that the government’s structure distributes responsibility across various offices, and accountability should follow accordingly.
In a show of loyalty, Gomez reaffirmed his support for Barrow, saying the president would not relinquish power before completing his mandate.
“President Barrow will not hand over the presidency to anyone. He will continue to be our leader because we, the Gambian people, chose him,” he declared, drawing loud applause from the crowd.
Reflecting on the 2016 presidential election, Gomez reminded supporters that many coalition members had doubted Barrow’s ability to defeat former president Yahya Jammeh.
“When Barrow was chosen as the coalition candidate, many did not believe he could defeat Yahya Jammeh. But he proved them wrong,” Gomez said, describing Barrow’s victory as evidence of his resilience and leadership.
