Africa-Press – Gambia. The Minister of Information, Media, and Broadcasting Services, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, has confirmed that Cherno Amadou Sowe’s appointment as Auditor General of The Gambia remains valid and effective, despite the controversy surrounding Modou Ceesay’s rejection of his appointment as Minister of Trade, Industry, and Regional Integration.
Speaking on Coffee Time with Peter Gomez, Dr. Ceesay maintained that Modou Ceesay initially accepted the ministerial position before later signaling rejection, but stressed that the Auditor General’s appointment remains unaffected.
“What is important is that, when he accepted the position in principle, somebody else was appointed as Auditor General, and that appointment is valid and is effective, so there is a situation,” the minister said.
According to Dr. Ceesay, President Adama Barrow personally informed Modou Ceesay of the cabinet reshuffle, and the offer was accepted before it was made public.
“The President never appointed Mr. Modou without informing him first. He was informed, and he accepted, and that is why it was announced,” he said.
Dr. Ceesay added that the presidency only became aware of Modou Ceesay’s rejection through social media, noting that no formal communication of refusal was ever submitted to the Office of the President.
He revealed that Modou Ceesay had met the president at State House, where the president expressed confidence in him and requested his service in the cabinet. At that meeting, Ceesay reportedly accepted the role, thanked the president, and promised to formalize his acceptance in writing upon return.
“And he was given his letter, and he promised that when he returns, he will write the acceptance letter,” he said.
Reiterating the president’s authority in making appointments, Dr. Ceesay emphasized that such decisions are guided by the president’s confidence in the appointees’ competence and alignment with the government’s agenda.
“The president is the president; he knows his team, he knows who can do what, and at any particular point in time, he knows what he wants, he knows how to drive the government’s agenda, and therefore, in driving that government agenda, he knows the personnel he needs in particular places,” he said.
On the issue of the Auditor General’s position, Dr. Ceesay stressed that there cannot be dual appointments to the role and that Cherno Amadou Sowe’s appointment stands.
“What I can confirm is that there is someone who is being appointed in that role, and we expect Mr. Modou Ceesay to be the minister of trade,” he said.
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