UDP Spain Chapter Raises D4 Million at Diaspora Fundraiser

By Seedy Jobe

The United Democratic Party (UDP) Spain Chapter raised D4 million dalasis at a fundraising event held in Spain over the weekend.

The event was part of the party’s diaspora fundraising tour, which has already taken in England and Basel, ahead of the presidential election scheduled for December 2026.

Speaking at the event, Brikama Area Council Chairman Yankuba Darboe said the drive is crucial to keeping the UDP a people-owned party. He said the party does not want to be seen as one-sided or dependent on a single financier.

He said the UDP aims to enter government without being indebted to any financier or “mafia group” and to form an administration that is elected by Gambians and serves Gambians. He contrasted this with what he described as the current situation, in which the government serves private interests.

Chairman Darboe thanked supporters for the large turnout in Spain, which he said demonstrated the UDP’s strength relative to other parties that, in his view, cannot draw comparable crowds in the diaspora.

He also conveyed a message from party leader Ousainu Darboe, who was unable to attend because he is engaged in the political season at home. The party leader, he said, is following developments closely and thanked all contributors.

According to Chairman Darboe, every contribution is aimed at rescuing the country.

“On the 6th of December, we want to remove The Gambia from a rule that has put the country backwards,” he declared.

He identified corruption as the country’s biggest problem, saying it has worsened and spread beyond government into all areas of society. He also cited widespread fraud in land sales, in which buyers build houses only to find that others claim ownership.

If Ousainu Darboe is elected, Chairman Darboe said, the party will apply its guiding principle of “Don’t steal, don’t lie, only work” nationwide. He maintained that The Gambia is not a poor country but has been made poor by its leadership, including the government of President Adama Barrow, which he accused of lacking a meaningful message for Gambians.

Drawing a comparison with Rwanda, Chairman Darboe said that despite lacking oil and gold, the country has developed to the point where its citizens feel little need to migrate, because it manages its tax revenue well and prevents theft.

He said the biggest loophole through which public funds disappear is at State House, and that closing it would help address major problems such as the shortage of medicines in hospitals.

He added that a UDP government would honor the Abuja Declaration commitment to allocate 15 percent of the national budget to health, which he said the party leader has promised to implement as his first action.

Chairman Darboe criticized the current government for building hospitals without ensuring patients have access to treatment and drugs. A hospital where patients cannot receive treatment or medicine, he said, cannot be considered a hospital, a situation he said deeply troubles Gambians.