Former Information Minister and veteran journalist Demba Ali Jawo has criticised President Adama Barrow’s ongoing Meet the People’s Tour, accusing the government of using public resources to support the president’s re-election bid ahead of the December 5, 2026, presidential election.
Jawo raised concerns over the number of government officials, National People’s Party (NPP) leaders and members of the governing alliance accompanying Barrow on the nationwide tour. He argued that taxpayers were bearing the cost of transporting, accommodating and feeding individuals whose presence, he said, was not directly linked to the official purpose of the exercise.
He also questioned the deployment of hundreds of government vehicles, claiming that some had been taken from state institutions and departments. According to Jawo, the use of these vehicles could affect the normal operations of the agencies from which they were drawn.
The former minister said the tour appeared to have moved away from its original objective of giving communities an opportunity to raise concerns about development and public services. He argued that speeches at some of the gatherings had instead centred on praising Barrow and expressing support for his bid to remain in office.
“It is certainly not only unfair but morally wrong for President Barrow to continue using state resources budgeted for the tour to campaign for his reelection at the expense of his opponents, as he seems to be doing,” Jawo said.
Jawo also drew a comparison with the Meet the Farmers Tour organised during the presidency of Sir Dawda Jawara. He said those visits placed greater emphasis on farmers’ concerns and community needs, with senior government officials and technical experts expected to respond to issues raised by residents.
The cost of the current exercise was another source of concern for the veteran journalist. He questioned the more than D50 million allocated to the tour, warning that the final expenditure could exceed the budgeted amount.
“There is certainly no moral justification for the more than D50 million budgeted for the tour, whose actual cost is even very likely to significantly exceed that budgeted amount,” he said.
Jawo’s remarks have brought renewed attention to questions about the use of public funds during the election period and the distinction between official government activities and political campaigning.
With the December presidential election approaching, the debate over the Meet the People’s Tour raises broader issues concerning public expenditure, the use of state assets and the need to maintain a clear separation between government business and party political activities.
The allegations remain Jawo’s assessment of the tour. A detailed breakdown of the expenditure, the official justification for the deployment of government vehicles and a response from the government would help clarify the issues he has raised.
