Dr. Ceesay Defends President Barrow’s Statement On Kiang Voting Patterns, Calls Reactions Unfair

During a meeting with elders in the Lower River Region (LRR), President Barrow expressed concerns about what he described as a historical voting trend where the Mandinka community in Kiang appeared to consistently oppose Gambian leaders, including himself, Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, and Yahya Jammeh. He highlighted that he had lost in all Mandinka-dominated polling stations in the area.

In response to the backlash over these comments, Dr. Ceesay defended the President’s right to assess and speak about voting patterns, likening it to practices commonly undertaken by journalists and researchers.
“People’s reactions are very unfair because president Barrow has a right to have an assessment of the voting pattern in this country just like anybody else. Many people have done it before. Journalists have done it. Academics, when you do research, you look at the voting patterns that this particular area the Fulas voted for this particular candidate. This has been going on. The president has observed a voting pattern. As a citizen he has the right to come out and make his own assessment and this is normal. When Lawyer Darboe went to Basse and said the Sarahules were the people supporting Barrow, people started shouting, but for me that was a normal statement. Those were his observations. So if Barrow said the same thing, that is based on his assessment he lost in Mandinka communities, that is his assessment of the voting pattern,” Dr. Ceesay said.
Dr. Ceesay shared his remarks during an interview on Tuesday .