By Fatou Sillah
Dr. Ousman Gajigo, an economist and leader of the Patriotic Progressive Alliance (PPA), stated that the opposition’s efforts to form electoral alliances ahead of The Gambia’s 2026 presidential election must be driven by a commitment to better governance and economic reform, rather than solely by the goal of unseating President Adama Barrow.
In an interview on West Coast Radio, Dr. Gajigo said his party was engaged in ongoing discussions with other opposition groups, describing alliance-building as both necessary and consequential in a crowded political field.
“We are actually in the process of alliance building,” he said. “We are part of discussions.”
But he cautioned against what he described as a coalition “at any cost,” arguing that the removal of President Barrow, while important to many voters, would be insufficient if it did not result in a government capable of delivering tangible improvements in people’s lives.
“Removing Adama Barrow without replacing him with something better that is going to bring real change is meaningless,” Dr. Gajigo said.
He said any opposition alliance must be grounded in clear principles and led by credible figures who could inspire public confidence after the election. The rationale for pursuing alliances, he added, was the growing sense among opposition parties that the incumbent could be defeated—provided they avoided fragmenting the vote.
“The main reason why we are engaging in alliance talks is to increase the likelihood that this government is defeated. But that alliance has to follow certain principles; the sort of people or the constituent elements of that alliance also have to be something that the day after the election would be something Gambians can look forward to,” he said.
Dr. Gajigo warned that the proliferation of opposition parties, if left unchecked, could ultimately benefit the incumbent.
“There are a lot of political opposition parties, and more are coming out,” he said. “If we all contest, the fragmentation is going to increase the likelihood that the incumbent would win, and that would be a terrible thing for the country.”
While acknowledging that it might be possible to defeat President Barrow without a formal coalition, Dr. Gajigo argued that alliances significantly improved the chances of victory—and, more importantly, the prospects for stronger economic management afterward.
“We are not saying it is impossible to remove Adama Barrow without a coalition; we just say it increases the likelihood. Anything that increases the likelihood but also ensures that the subsequent government would be far better at improving the economy—that is what the alliance efforts should be working towards,” he said.