UNITE Women’s President Says Barrow, Not UDP, Is Party’s Main Political Concern

By Fatou Sillah

Matty Kanyi Sambou, the national women’s president of the UNITE Party, has said President Adama Barrow—not the opposition United Democratic Party—should be the focus of opposition efforts ahead of the 2026 presidential election.

Speaking in an interview with Star TV, Sambou argued that opposition parties should concentrate on defeating President Barrow rather than turning their political energies against one another.

“UDP is not our problem. President Barrow is our problem in this country,” she said. “Barrow is the one that I am invested in.”

Kanyi-Sambou said that despite their political differences, the UDP, UNITE, and other parties outside the government remain part of the opposition and should focus on what she described as the more pressing challenges confronting Gambians.

She said the Barrow administration, as the government in power, should be held accountable for the country’s current conditions. She accused the administration of failing to address hunger and insecurity, issues she said should provide common ground for opposition parties seeking political change.

Kanyi-Sambou maintained that the strengths or weaknesses of individual opposition parties should not distract from what she sees as their broader objective: challenging President Barrow at the polls.

Her comments come amid continuing debate over whether opposition parties could forge alliances ahead of the December 2026 presidential election. Sambou said she believes there is still room for cooperation among parties seeking to unseat the president.

Asked specifically whether UNITE could work with the UDP, Sambou left the possibility open, saying political alliances can change when broader national interests are at stake.

“Politics has no permanent enemies or permanent friends,” she said. “What is eminent is that we all want the development of the country. Let us pray for the country to move forward and for the country to be peaceful.”

Kanyi-Sambou’s remarks underscore a recurring question facing Gambia’s opposition ahead of the election: whether competing parties will pursue the presidency separately or find common ground around a shared effort to defeat Barrow.