Gambia’s President Barrow faces backlash after forcibly removing auditor general
The dispute intensified when plainclothes officers arrived to arrest Ceesay and install his successor, Cherno Amadou Sowe, who has yet to assume office amid public backlash.
Police on Monday forcibly removed The Gambia’s Auditor General, Momodou Ceesay, from office after he rejected a government reshuffle ordered by President Adama Barrow.
The move came after Ceesay, who has served as auditor general for nearly three years, turned down President Barrow’s offer last week to become Trade Minister. The president, however, claims that Ceesay initially accepted the position before reversing his decision.
The dispute escalated when plainclothes officers arrived at Ceesay’s office to arrest him and install his successor, Director of Internal Audit Cherno Amadou Sowe. Sowe has not yet assumed office due to public backlash.
Reports indicate that Ceesay’s staff confronted the police, with local media broadcasting live footage of them stalling the officers. Ceesay was eventually ejected from a press conference he was addressing and escorted to his lawyer’s office after reinforcements arrived.
His ouster has sparked public outrage, with activists accusing Barrow of attempting to replace Ceesay with a loyalist who would shield him from corruption allegations.
Young Gambians have also threatened to stage protests on the outskirts of the capital, Banjul, demanding Ceesay’s reinstatement.
“He refused your appointment. Now you forcibly remove him out of the office? Are the Gambian people not watching?” a Gambian activist asked, according to the BBC.
“If the auditor general does not return to office today, President Barrow will leave the State House today.”
The controversy comes as Barrow faces mounting pressure over reports that assets linked to disgraced former president Yahya Jammeh were illegally distributed among his allies, claims the President vehemently denies.
In a statement, Barrow’s office defended the reshuffle, saying Ceesay’s appointment as Trade Minister was based on merit and not intended to interfere with the National Audit Office.
The statement also emphasised the government’s commitment to “the rule of law, transparency, accountability, and the responsible management of public finances.”
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