By Fatou Sillah
Lamin Jatta, a former National People’s Party (NPP) Regional Chairman who now serves as a member of the National Democratic Party (NDP), has expressed confidence that Gambian opposition parties will forge a united front ahead of the 2026 presidential election.
Speaking in an interview with Kerr Fatou, Jatta confirmed that coalition and alliance talks are actively underway among various opposition groups, all working toward the common objective of achieving political change in the country.
“There are discussions going on, and unity will happen—an alliance will also happen. I don’t know whether it will be one or two alliances, but the one we are part of is going to be possible,” he said.
Jatta indicated that the NDP is approaching coalition-building pragmatically, stating that his party is willing to align with whichever opposition group commands the broadest public support—without any preconditions rooted in political ambition.
“Any party that has fewer supporters than us will join us, and any opposition party with more supporters than us — we will join them, because we are not power-hungry. We simply want to be part of a government that will replace the current one. There will definitely be a new government,” he said.
He clarified that the NDP’s push for political change is principled rather than personal, rooted specifically in opposition to a potential third term for President Adama Barrow.
“We have nothing personal against this government. This is about nothing more than term limits. We are not saying they have done nothing, but what has been done comes from taxpayers’ money, and the people should not be expected to applaud for that,” he said.
Jatta confirmed that the NDP is already engaged in active coalition discussions, disclosing that the party has formalized alliances with two other political parties as part of broader opposition coordination efforts.
On the question of flagbearer selection within any future coalition, Jatta was critical of what he described as premature and counterproductive positioning by the United Democratic Party (UDP), which has reportedly insisted on providing the coalition’s flagbearer.
“UDP says they are the biggest opposition party, but I believe their leadership does not fully understand political negotiation. They should not have publicly stated that in any coalition they join, they will be the flagbearer. Dialogue is what should have determined that outcome,” he said.
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