Lamin J. Darboe Says Credibility of Team Gambia Coordinators Influenced His Decision to Join Coalition

By Fatou Sillah

Lamin J. Darboe, flagbearer of the Gambia First Coalition, has said the credibility and integrity of Halifa Sallah and Sidia Jatta, coordinators of Team Gambia Grand Coalition 2026, were decisive factors in his decision to join the political alliance.

Speaking in an interview with West Coast Radio, Mr. Darboe said he would not have joined the coalition without confidence in the two veteran politicians, whom he credited with bringing together political parties and movements under a common platform.

Asked what held the coalition together beyond its shared objective of defeating President Adama Barrow in the December presidential election, Mr. Darboe emphasized the importance of credible leadership and mutual trust among its members.

He said the reputations of Mr. Sallah and Mr. Jatta played a significant role in his decision to become part of the alliance.

“If they are not credible, I wouldn’t be there,” he said.

Mr. Darboe also explained the coalition’s slogan of returning The Gambia to people with “clean hands,” saying it reflected the importance of personal integrity and accountability among those seeking public office.

He argued that political leaders should be able to demonstrate that they have maintained their integrity and adequately addressed any allegations of wrongdoing against them.

“Do you have a clean hand? Were you ever engaged or involved in any scandal that you were not successful in trying to vindicate yourself?” he asked.

However, Mr. Darboe clarified that the slogan was not intended to question the integrity of politicians outside Team Gambia or suggest that coalition members were the only individuals qualified to lead the country.

“It’s in no way disrespecting other people, saying that whoever is not here does not have clean hands—not at all, far from that,” he said.

He further explained that Mr. Sallah and Mr. Jatta were not seeking to become the coalition’s presidential flagbearer but had instead committed themselves to coordinating efforts to unite the various political actors and movements.

Mr. Darboe portrayed their involvement as an important source of credibility for the alliance, emphasizing that his participation was grounded not merely in the coalition’s political objectives but also in his confidence in the integrity of those coordinating it.