By Makutu Manneh
Yaya Menteng Sanyang, vice chairman for finance and administration of the UNITE Party, said the prospects of an alliance between his party and the United Democratic Party ahead of the 2026 presidential election were “very slim,” citing disagreements over the UDP’s leadership.
Sanyang, who represents Latrikunda Sabiji in the National Assembly, made the remarks during an appearance on Kerr Fatou’s The Brunch. He stopped short of ruling out an agreement entirely but said he considered one unlikely.
“For me, my issue with UDP is not about programs and policies,” Sanyang said. “It is about the flag-bearer, and I feel that somebody who contested an election five consecutive times and lost should have given a chance to younger people.”
His comments underscore the leadership dispute that contributed to the departure of several figures from the UDP and the subsequent emergence of UNITE.
Sanyang said members of his generation had grown up alongside the UDP and believed the time had come for younger politicians to assume greater leadership responsibilities within the party.
“When the UDP was formed, some of us were 10 or 12 years old, and we grew up with the party,” he said, arguing that younger members should now have an opportunity to lead.
Sanyang stressed that his position was not about taking ownership of the party away from its longtime leaders. Rather, he said, senior members could continue to guide while a younger generation took on leadership roles and sought to lead the party into a presidential election.
The disagreement between the UDP and figures who later formed UNITE grew out of a broader debate over leadership succession ahead of the 2026 election. The dispute centered in part on whether the UDP should continue under its veteran leadership or make way for a new generation.
With UNITE now operating as a separate political party, the two groups are pursuing their own political strategies ahead of the presidential election, even as questions remain about whether opposition parties could ultimately cooperate against President Adama Barrow and the ruling National People’s Party.
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