|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Gambians are witnessing a wave of unfolding events following the appointment of Modou Ceesay, the Auditor General, as the new Minister of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment, an offer he immediately turned down.
Ceesay became the first Gambian to turn down a ministerial job offer, which has led to praise and criticism.
He had only served three years of the nine-year constitutional mandate.
In this explainer, DUBAWA gives an in-depth explanation of the conflict surrounding this brouhaha.
Brief History
On September 10, 2025, the State House of The Gambia announced via its official Facebook page that President Adama Barrow had appointed Modou Ceesay, the Auditor General, as Minister of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration, and Employment.
Ceesay, appointed to succeed Babucarr Ismaila Joof, the former trade minister, promptly rejected the appointment in a letter dated Sept. 11, 2025.
In a statement dated September 11, he said, “I respectfully declined the offer,” reiterating his commitment to remain the Auditor General.
President Barrow relied on sections 71(1) and 71(3) of the 1997 Constitution of The Gambia, which vested him with the power to appoint ministers and the Auditor General.
The National Audit Office Act 2015 clearly stated that the auditor general’s mandate runs for nine years and can only be removed from office based on three grounds;
Section 16 (4) of the Act stated that the Auditor General may only be removed from office by the President on the following grounds:
- inability to perform the functions of his or her office arising from infirmity of mind or body or from any other cause;
(b) misbehaviour; or
(c) incompetence.
Rumours surfaced that Ceesay had turned down the offer because he wasn’t consulted, and the appointment was made to silence him from holding the government accountable.
On September 14, Dr Ismaila Ceesay, the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services of The Gambia, claimed during an interview with ‘Membe Kering TV,’ a local online news outlet, that the Auditor General was consulted before the appointment and had accepted the offer.
“The President cannot announce the appointment of anyone without that person first accepting the offer. Modou Ceesay accepted the offer, and that’s why it was announced,” Dr Ceesay remarked, adding that he takes full responsibility for his statements.
However, the interview ended poorly as Ceesay stormed out of the studio following a heated exchange with the interviewer.
Ceesay’s and his subsequent rejection of the offer incited debate, with Dr Ismaila Ceesay, the information minister, affirming that Modou Ceesay was appointed before the appointment despite conflicting rumours.
Public reaction to this brouhaha
Social media has been filled with divergent opinions on Mr Ceesay’s appointment as the new Minister of Trade.
What’s On Gambia, a popular news and gossip website keen on exposing corruption scandals, wrote a report suggesting that Ceesay’s appointment is intended to silence him.
In its report, the committee stated that Ceesay’s critical role in holding the government accountable has made him a target of different government institutions, which he recently audited and exposed damning corruption scandals.
Essa Faal, a seasoned lawyer and now politician, has also condemned the removal of the Auditor General as unlawful.
Meanwhile, Seedy Njie, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, has defended the appointment of Mr Ceesay as the new Minister of Trade.
