By: Momodou Justice Darboe
Ex-finance minister Amadou Sanneh has said that the UDP has yet to receive any formal communication from anyone about any presidential ambition of Talib Ahmad Bensouda.
He dispelled rumors milling around town that the UDP is on a trajectory of an implosion as underhand tactics are reportedly being employed by some people to supplant Lawyer OusainouDarboe with Bensouda in the 2026 general election.
Various narratives continue to be peddled in some quarters that people are currently feathering the political nest of the KMC mayor by employing every tool in their toolbox to prepare him as UDP flagbearer for 2026.
“Nobody has officially expressed an interest to the UDP that Talib should be the flagbearer. I cannot restrain anyone from doing whatever but it must be done within the confines of the laws of the party,” the former finance minister said in an interview with King FM.
He added: “The party (UDP) is not the property of any individual. It’s the people that came together to form the UDP. The Gambians chose Ousainou to lead and it’s not him, who chose himself to lead. So, every party member must toe the party line. So, all that people are saying can be their own. And if there were people machinating, they may be acting on their own but not on the dictate of the party. We are running the party as it should be and in 2026, we will select our flagbearer so that the abyss that Gambia is in…Any sector that you look at is in trouble. No security sector reform. Nothing. We must put Gambia on the right track.”
According to former finance minister Sanneh, the UDP is a democratic party that does not shy away from upholding the tenets of democracy.
He pointed out that every eligible member of the UDP has the right to express interest in carrying the torch for the Gambia’s main opposition party in the 2026 presidential elections.
“People hold their views. The UDP has its constitution. We have rules. The selection of a flagbearer is not going to be conducted today, tomorrow, or next year. The congress will be held in the 2026 election year. Anyone interested will present himself or herself and the selection of the flagbearer will be done during the congress,” Mr. Sanneh explained to King FM Feelerangomorning show on Wednesday.
“The UDP has not yet selected Ousainou Darboe as its flagbearer. He is currently the party leader but is not the flagbearer for 2026. In 2026, he can only present himself as a flagbearer. Others can also express their desire to contest on the UDP ticket. The voting will be done during the congress.”
The erstwhile finance minister stressed that the UDP is a democratic party.
He explained:“So if people are talking…that is a far cry from the reality. We are a democratic party. If you go to democratic countries…In the UK, for example, how many prime ministers were replaced within a short period of time until Richie Sunak came? Before Sunak’s arrival, you had Therese May as the prime minister and others came as well. And they are all from the same party. If one party member or another wants to vie as a UDP flagbearer, that is normal democracy. That doensn’t depict that there are squabbles in the UDP.”
