President Adama Barrow, via his legal representatives at Ida D. Drammeh and Associates, has threatened to sue Musa S. Sheriff, managing director of The Voice Newspaper, in a letter dated September 25, 2024. This is in response to a report that claims Barrow has selected Muhammad Jah to be his heir.
We act for His Excellency Mr. Adama Barrow, the President of the Republic of The Gambia and Secretary General and Party Leader of the National People’s Party (NPP), in respect of an article appearing on the front-page and page 2 of the issue of ‘The Voice’ newspaper dated 23d September 2024 under the title ‘BARROW CHOOSES MUHAMMED JAH AS SUCCESSOR AS PRE. WORKS ON EXIT PLAN-SOURCES,” according to the letter sent to Sheriff by Barrow’s legal team. The correspondence claims
Barrow’s legal team highlighted various aspects of the story and characterized the article as defamatory, including:
“A little over two years before Gambians head back to the polls to choose their next President, President Adama Barrow is developing an exit strategy,” NPP leaders were cited as saying. The news that President Barrow has selected Muhammad Jah, a politically unknown figure, to succeed him has already alarmed and unsettled many influential members of the ruling party.
“The announcement appears to have come as a shock to a few prominent NPP members and officials, as Mr. Barrow had only indicated two weeks prior that he intended to run for a fifth five-year term in 2026. According to reports that reached this medium, ECOWAS was uncomfortable with President Barrow’s desire for a third term at a time when the sub-regional organization was coping with the unsettling difficulties of coups d’état and Islamic insurgency in the West Africa sub-region.
But trustworthy sources claim that President Barrow later expressed a wish to abdicate his position, but several NPP officials apparently talked him out of it by telling him that the party’s survival and cohesion depended on him. Although it is yet unclear if the President selected the Q-Group Chairman to succeed him in 2026, NPP executives and members were fervently discussing the matter last weekend.
Barrow’s legal team responded by disputing the allegations, labeling them as “‘completely’ outrageous and untrue,” and claiming that Barrow never thought of resigning or designated Jah as his successor. They claimed the story made false statements about Barrow’s lack of enthusiasm in serving as president, his party’s lack of trustworthiness, and the fact that he has already given Jah the post.
“The natural and ordinary meaning of these words and of the placing of the photograph immediately under the said words, which are highly defamatory of our client,” the president’s legal team stated in their letter.
A. Our client is no longer interested in being President of The Gambia;
B. That he does not intend to be flag bearer of the NPP in the 2026 elections;
C. That his party, NPP, cannot rely on what he tells them;
D. That he is not a man of his word and cannot be trusted;
E. That he has chosen Muhammed Jah as his successor;
F. That he has handed over keys to his position to him;
G. That there was a ceremony where this handover took place;
H. That NPP are unhappy with his decision.
They added that their client never discussed with anyone the idea that Muhammad Jah was picked to be his successor, and that all of these accusations are wholly baseless.
Additionally, he never said that he was done with wanting to be president of The Gambia. A second article published in the newspaper on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, summarized the libellous accusations mentioned earlier in relation to a trip that Mr. Jah took and one that he may take in the future. The article implied that this was done as part of a succession plan between Mr. Jah and our client, and it was published to give your paper’s unfounded claims some appearance of credibility.
The publication of “these defamatory allegations,” according to Barrow’s legal team, has severely harmed their client’s reputation and is “deeply distressing and embarrassing for him.”
Therefore, within 24 hours of receiving this letter, President Barrow, through his legal counsel, has asked the Managing Director of the Voice Newspaper to take the following immediate actions:
To publish, on the newspaper’s front page, in a position identical to that of the article complained of, a full and comprehensive retraction and apology, in language to be authorized by us on behalf of our client;
- to issue a statement in open court retraction and apology in full;
- to reimburse our client for any expenses he has expended or will pay in connection with this issue;
- to compensate our client for the harm done to his reputation as well as the shame and anxiety he endured.
The letter ends with a warning: if these demands are not met within 24 hours, legal action will be taken, and Barrow will pursue all related legal fees and charges.
“We will take the necessary steps to institute legal proceedings without any further correspondence if the defamatory article is not removed permanently and the above undertakings are not complied with within the next 24 hours of the date of this letter.” The letter ends, “In the event that legal action is required, our client will also be requesting reimbursement from you for all legal fees related to filing this libel case as well as any further expenses that may be paid in this regard.