By Seedy Jobe
Political analyst Essa Njie has argued that Unite Movement for Change (UMC) leader Talib Ahmed Bensouda occupies a distinct position among Gambia’s newer generation of political figures — one shaped by years of hands-on governance, seasoned political allies, and a proven record at the Kanifing Municipal Council.
Speaking on the Bitilo programme, Njie drew a direct comparison between Bensouda and two other prominent newcomers — lawyer Essa Faal and political scientist Dr. Ismaila Ceesay — concluding that Bensouda holds a measurable advantage in both experience and organisational depth.
“He’s not new to politics. If you look among the newcomers, none of them has the political experience that Talib has. His political experience is greater than all of theirs, especially those in the same generation as him. He has more political momentum, experience, and exposure than them,” Njie said.
The analyst noted that Faal and Dr. Ceesay entered the political arena without established networks behind them, whereas Bensouda arrived with a team carrying decades of collective experience. He pointed to figures such as Karafa Sonko, a UDP stalwart since 1996; sitting National Assembly Member Yahya Menteng Sanyang; Kemo Bojang, a long-standing party operative; and MC Cham Jr., whose political career dates back to the Jammeh era.
“But if you look at Talib, Karafa has been in the UDP since 1996. You have people like Yahya Menteng Sanyang, a sitting National Assembly Member. You look at people like Kemo Bojang, who had been in the UDP, one can say, since he was young. You look at MC Cham Jr., who has been in politics since Yahya Jammeh’s time,” he said.
Njie concluded that Bensouda’s tenure as Mayor of KMC remains perhaps his most tangible differentiator, giving him a governance record that few of his peers can point to.
“So obviously, those people’s influence alone will be able to pull a lot of crowds, including Talib’s momentum, his experience, and his track record as mayor of KMC. You know, that was a contributing factor that clearly differentiated him from the other newcomers in politics,” Njie concluded.
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