On many platforms, Mr.Ousainou Darboe was heard of making the point that President Adama Barrow should lead for five years because that is what the constitution says. Indeed that is what the constitution says, but the coalition partners were NOT ignorant of the constitutional provision of five years during their discussions, but that after much discussion and thought, they chose to go for three years, presumably, for some good reasons.

With the sacking of Ousainou Darboe from the Barrow government, one may wonder what the UDP’s position is on the coalition agreement that calls for a three year transitional rule. The coalition campaigned, up and down the country, to serve for three years and the people voted believing or knowing full well that the coalition government, if elected, would serve for three years, not five. The signatories to the coalition agreement including President Barrow were not deceiving the electorate.

There is nothing gentlemanly in telling the electorate that you will rule for three years when you meant five, especially upon tasting honey and milk. Gentlemen mean their words. Unfortunately President Barrow has made it clearly that he is constitutionally mandated to rule for five years. President Barrow is a signatory to the agreement which binded all those who signed it.

Therefore despite the glory and all that goes along with holding unto power “integrity” among your contemporaries is a virtue that must be upheld. If the President at the expiry of the agreement fails to relinquish power or not acting honestly to observe their so-called gentleman’s agreement, I think for the sake of the country, the coalition partners must unite and insist that he steps aside after the agreed three years.

With the recent firing of UDP heavy weights one may wonder why Mr. Barrow at one time made the statement at State House that he is a UDP president. That was against the coalition agreement? He never and could not rejoin the UDP party. In as much as we are remembering these issues, time has blurred those events and statements. Now President Barrow is a foe to the UDP hierarchy and they see him as a renegade.

As we see it now, the political landscape is worrying. Coalition members are counting down to the agreed time. The UDP is in agony with the sackings whilst President Barrow is looking at his political future with unrest. The president cannot form a political party any time soon because he heads a coalition government.

If Mr. Barrow insists on serving for 5 years, he will be deceiving his Coalition Partners and the whole country. Clearly, the current leadership and all of the coalition partners must know that they will not be on the right side of history for supporting such deceitful action; such action will not serve the country well in the long term. Therefore, there must be push for General election in 2019.