Barrow Did Not Defeat Jammeh, He Campaigned on Darboe’s Name, Says UDP’s Lamin Manneh

By Seedy Jobe

Lamin Manneh, the United Democratic Party (UDP) deputy administrative secretary for external affairs, has said President Adama Barrow has no reason to underestimate UDP leader Ousainu Darboe ahead of the December election. He likened Darboe to a chicken in comparison with former President Yahya Jammeh, whom he described as an elephant.

Speaking in an interview with Teledal TV, Mr. Manneh said Jammeh was difficult to remove because he was backed by a military dictatorship, but argued that President Barrow should not take credit for his removal. He maintained that it was the coalition that ousted Jammeh, and that Barrow won in 2016 because he campaigned entirely on Darboe’s name.

According to Mr. Manneh, Barrow toured the country telling voters he was campaigning not for himself but for Darboe, whom he described as a man of integrity who fought the dictatorship for 22 years and was beaten, wounded, and jailed. He said the 2016 campaign was won on Darboe’s reputation, not on any programme of Barrow’s own.

Responding to the president’s metaphor that the same knife used to slaughter an elephant in 2016 remains available to slaughter a chicken in 2026, Mr. Manneh said the remark reflected fear on the president’s part. He added that defectors who have moved to the National People’s Party (NPP) are on the losing side because Barrow will lose in December.

He dismissed claims by some NPP supporters that the election is already decided, questioning why a confident incumbent would need to tour the country up to ten times. A government with real achievements, he said, would let its record speak for its candidature.

Mr. Manneh accused the Barrow administration of having no programme to offer and of resorting to tribalism and ethnic bigotry. He alleged that ministers and National Assembly members use the President’s platform to spread ethnic hatred while the President laughs and applauds, despite his oath to unite the country.

He said a similar tactic was used in 2021 through former Bakau National Assembly Member Dembo Bojang, popularly known as “Dembo By Force,” who served as religious affairs advisor. According to Mr. Manneh, the narrative then was that a UDP victory would lead to the expulsion of Jolas, Wolofs, and Fulas. He claimed that after the election, which he alleged was stolen, Bojang admitted he did not believe what he had said but that they had an election to win. Mr. Manneh described this as shameful.

Asked what the UDP is offering after 30 years, Mr. Manneh said the party has a reform agenda covering the civil service, education, health, security, and culture. He said Barrow campaigned on these same reforms but never implemented them.

He said the new constitution was abandoned after D116 million had been spent, and that there has been no improvement in economic performance. He claimed electricity generation fell from about 50 megawatts under Jammeh to less than 30 megawatts under Barrow, despite a D622 million injection into NAWEC, forcing The Gambia to import power from Senegal and Guinea Conakry.

On health, he alleged that over $600 million in Covid funds has disappeared and that the sector is in disarray. He dismissed the President’s claim that the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital is now like an air-conditioned hotel, saying patients lie on floors on drips, mothers who have just delivered share beds, and babies share incubators.

Mr. Manneh said a UDP government would begin with an audit to establish how much public money remains, close corruption loopholes, and recover stolen funds. He said corruption cannot be eliminated entirely but can be significantly reduced, with the savings redirected to health, agriculture, and energy.

He said the 2027 budget would be reallocated, with cuts to areas that add no value, including excessive travel and conferences and a bloated government. The number of ministries would be reduced to create a leaner government, with the savings invested in capital projects such as electricity generation.

On agriculture, he said the party would provide more fertiliser, buy groundnuts at higher prices, introduce irrigation, supply harvesting equipment and storage facilities, and link market gardeners to the hospitality industry.

The plan, he added, also includes agro-processing of rice, fruits, and vegetables into products such as drinks, jams, and marmalades, to add value across the chain and drive import substitution. He estimated that the country spends over $250 million annually on food imports, money that could be saved and invested locally, easing pressure on the dalasi, lowering the cost of living, and reducing debt servicing costs, since foreign loans are repaid in dalasi.