By: Momodou Justice Darboe
The Campaign Manager of the National People’s Party (NPP), Mr. Lamin Cham, has asserted that the Gambia’s opposition political parties will significantly lose strength before Gambians return to the polls to elect their President.
The NPP’s voter mobilization chief predicted that the 2026 general election will not be as intense as that of 2021 as, according to him, many of the government’s development programs will be executed before the polls.
“The 2026 election will not be as intense as that of 2021. Before then [2026], the opposition will be weakened seriously. I can tell you this. Before even 2026, so many projects will be accomplished across the country. It’s the development that the people are yearning for,” Mr. Cham told this reporter in an exclusive interview.
The NPP campaign manager said his party does not have much electioneering to do come 2026.
“If you go around the country, people will ask you what the opposition will tell them now. One old man once told the President in Wuli that if the members of the opposition come here [Wuli] and climb the bridge to cross, what else can they say? He asked what else could they [the opposition] promise them that will be more than the bridge. So, people have appreciated our development trajectory. The campaign we have to do in 2026 will be very little,” explained Mr. Cham.
“Everyone is witnessing the development unfolding in this country. As Mandinkas say, the eye may deny the truth but conscience can’t. Everybody has seen that President Barrow is delivering the needs of the masses. What we need from a ruler is respect for the freedoms and rights of the masses, responsiveness to public demand, and gentleness. President Barrow has all these qualities. You may deny these qualities of the President in public but will no doubt accept them in your quiet moment in your house,” he added.
Asked whether the formidable UDP could not pose a threat to the NPP in the next general election, Cham replied: “NPP will never be threatened by the UDP. If you look back at the 2021 election, there was a lot of euphoria in the UDP but with all that, I knew they were not our problem. You know some people are politically unenlightened and if you don’t get a grasp of an issue, you cannot make any headway in it. You should be able to analyze things, understand them, and be able to make a clear judgment and success. I realized that the majority of them [UDP members] cannot analyze politics. The UDP was good at national mobilization but very poor at grassroots mobilization. They need to strengthen their grassroots mobilization to get to the masses and win hearts and minds.”
Mr. Cham said the NPP has rolled out a welcome carpet for every Gambian as he called for unity and politics of decency. He explained: “Our doors are open. If you look at it, the NPP’s national executive is composed of people from all political parties. Newcomers will be accommodated. Politics is not about violence, insults, castigating opponents, and character assassination. Our social fabric should not be torn by politics. Our cordial relations should not be endangered by politics. Nothing should change our relations. An example I can give you is that when I was in the UDP, the meeting point for me and my friends was owned by someone in the APRC. We all used to go and do our politics but regrouped whenever we finished doing politics. It was the same owner of our meeting point, who facilitated a meeting between me and the people of Foni when there was a problem there to solve. Today, Foninkas adopted me as an honorary father. That’s how it should be. We should be able to attend each other’s naming ceremonies and funerals.”
