Bensouda: ‘Nothing Can Stop My Candidacy in This World’

By Staff Writer

Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda said Sunday that nothing would prevent him from contesting the 2026 presidential election, telling supporters that political pressure and scrutiny had only strengthened his resolve.

Speaking at the Coalition 2026 NUP/UNITE alliance unity rally at the Brikama SSP Field on Sept. 6, Bensouda acknowledged that the road ahead would be difficult.

“It is not going to be easy. They will fight us day and night,” he said. “They stood here and talked about commissions of inquiry. I have seen my commission report, and there is nothing in it to stop me from running for president in 2026.”

Bensouda suggested that efforts to undermine his political ambitions had been underway for some time, but said those challenges had made him stronger.

“They have been cooking it for a long time because they know this day is coming,” he said. “But with all the fight they subjected me to, they have made me stronger.”

He added: “What they have planned for me is the same thing I have planned for them. Nothing can stop my candidacy in this world.”

Bensouda’s remarks came as the NUP and UNITE alliance sought to project unity ahead of the 2026 presidential election.