UNITE’s Ebrima Dibba Details Failed Talks With Essa Faal, Accuses Him of Prioritizing Presidential Ambition

By Makutu Manneh

Ebrima Dibba, national president of the UNITE Party, has disclosed details of what he described as unsuccessful private talks with APP-Sobeyaa leader Essa Mbye Faal, accusing the former presidential candidate of putting his own political ambitions ahead of efforts to forge a united opposition front.

Speaking on Kerr Fatou, Mr. Dibba said he accompanied UNITE leader Talib Ahmed Bensouda and Aziz Bensouda to Mr. Faal’s residence to propose that he support Mr. Bensouda’s presidential bid and work with them toward what they viewed as a broader effort to change the country’s political direction.

According to Mr. Dibba, Mr. Faal rejected the proposal and argued that he had left his job to pursue the presidency. Mr. Dibba said Mr. Faal also pointed to his age, saying he would turn 60 this year and would be about 70 if Mr. Bensouda were elected and served two terms before he had another opportunity to seek the presidency.

“I told him, ‘Essa, calm down. We came to you with our proposal, which is for you to support Talib and work together with him to win the presidency and get the country out of the situation it is in,’” Mr. Dibba said.

Mr. Dibba further claimed that Mr. Faal cited resources he had already committed to his campaign, including an order for 100 vehicles and more than 200 motorbikes, as another reason he was unwilling to abandon his presidential bid.

Mr. Dibba said he then asked Mr. Faal whether becoming president was his primary objective. According to him, Mr. Faal responded by asking whether Mr. Dibba’s own objective was simply to make Mr. Bensouda president.

At that point, Mr. Dibba said Aziz Bensouda argued that Mr. Bensouda had accumulated greater political capital through his years as mayor of the Kanifing Municipal Council and therefore stood a stronger chance in the presidential race.

Mr. Dibba said Mr. Faal remained unconvinced, maintaining that even a unified effort would not change his concern about waiting until age 70 for another opportunity to seek the presidency.

Mr. Dibba said he urged Mr. Faal to shift the discussion away from individual presidential ambitions and toward the country’s broader interests, before asking him to outline what arrangement he would be prepared to accept.

According to Mr. Dibba, Mr. Faal proposed that he become president, with Mr. Bensouda serving as prime minister under a new office that would be created. Mr. Dibba said Mr. Faal proposed serving a single five-year term. The discussions continued but ultimately ended without an agreement, he said.

Mr. Dibba also alleged that Mr. Faal insisted that any agreement involving the vice presidency be formally documented in writing.

According to Mr. Dibba, Mr. Faal told the delegation that if he could not reach an agreement with UNITE, he would rather work with the ruling National People’s Party than the United Democratic Party.

“He said UDP is out of it. He made this clear,” Mr. Dibba said, adding that Mr. Faal made additional remarks about the UDP that he did not want to repeat publicly.

Mr. Dibba also revisited Mr. Faal’s participation in the Coalition 2026 flagbearer selection process, from which APP-Sobeyaa withdrew shortly before the vote. Coalition 2026 subsequently selected Mr. Bensouda as its presidential candidate.

According to Mr. Dibba, Mr. Faal had proposed during the coalition negotiations that the candidate finishing first in the selection process should become the presidential candidate and the runner-up should automatically become the vice-presidential candidate. He said the proposal was rejected on the grounds that the eventual presidential candidate should be allowed to choose a running mate.

Mr. Dibba alleged that Mr. Faal withdrew about 30 minutes before the selection vote and had already prepared remarks criticizing the process. He further claimed that Mr. Faal intended to move toward the NPP after failing to secure the arrangement he wanted within the opposition coalition.

APP-Sobeyaa’s withdrawal from the Coalition 2026 process was previously linked to several concerns raised by the party, including allegations of delegate inducement and disagreement over the selection and ratification of a running mate.

Mr. Dibba concluded by accusing Mr. Faal of allowing personal political ambition to take precedence over what he described as the national interest. He said only Mr. Faal could explain whether his subsequent engagement with the NPP addressed the concerns he had raised during talks with UNITE.

Mr. Faal’s account of the private meeting described by Mr. Dibba was not included in Mr. Dibba’s remarks.