Gambian leader threatens to sue private newspaper
Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - Gambian President Adama Barrow has threatened to institute a legal action against a private newspaper, The Voice, if the paper fails to retract its report about his reported exit plan.
The Voice on Monday reported that President Barrow had chosen the politically-little-known Muhammed Jah to replace him at the poll in 2026, quoting ruling National People’s Party (NPP) officials and other sources.
The President, through his lawye,r Ida Drammeh, wrote to The Voice on Wednesday demanding a full retraction of the article within 24 hours and “a befitting apology” or else he would sue the paper.
President Barrow said he felt defamed by the article as it painted a picture of him as an unreliable and indecisive person.
However, the author of the story, Momodou Justice Darboe, said there was no need to retract the article or apologise to the President in any way.
The Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of The Voice newspaper, Mr. Musa Sheriff, said the paper observed due diligence on the story.
“As professionals, we approached this story with the highest consideration of ethics and principles of journalism by contacting the mouthpiece and the deputy spokesman of the NPP, who were both quoted in the article,” said Mr. Sheriff.
“We also depended on multiple sources as premise for our report,” he added.
-0- PANA MSS/MA 26Sept 2024
