Darboe Urges URR Youths to Take Ownership of December Election

By Seedy Jobe

Ousainu Darboe, the secretary general and party leader of the United Democratic Party, has urged young voters in the Upper River Region to take ownership of the Dec. 5 presidential election, telling them that the outcome would shape their future more than that of the older generation.

Addressing thousands of supporters at a UDP rally in Allunhari on Saturday, Mr. Darboe said the political freedoms young Gambians enjoy today were made possible by the sacrifices of earlier generations of party members.

“This is your election,” Mr. Darboe told the crowd.

He said veteran political figures, including Alagie Nfamara Jabbie and Mba Sillah, had already played their part and that responsibility now rested largely with Gambians in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.

Mr. Darboe urged young people to translate that responsibility into votes for the UDP, presenting the December election as a choice between what he described as a path toward progress and a continuation of the economic hardships facing many Gambians.

Turning to the cost of living, Mr. Darboe recalled a political meeting he held in Garawol in 1996, when he said he warned voters about the economic consequences of electing Yahya Jammeh.

At the time, Mr. Darboe said, a bag of rice cost about 250 dalasis, and he predicted that the price could rise to 500 dalasis under Mr. Jammeh. He said some voters dismissed his warning as opposition rhetoric, but rice prices eventually rose well beyond his prediction.

Mr. Darboe said another government later promised to reduce the price of a bag of rice from 1,500 dalasis to 750 dalasis, but he argued that the cost has instead continued to climb, with some consumers now paying between 2,000 and 3,000 dalasis.

He used the comparison to argue that voters should judge political promises against their everyday economic circumstances.

Mr. Darboe also warned against giving President Adama Barrow another term, contending that a third Barrow administration would deepen the country’s economic and governance problems.

He accused the government of failing to adequately prioritize hospitals and farmers and argued that public resources were being spent on vehicles, workshops, and conferences at the expense of essential services.

Mr. Darboe also criticized the government’s management of agriculture, saying another five years under the current administration would further weaken a sector on which many Gambians depend for their livelihoods.

His remarks were part of the UDP’s efforts to mobilize support in the Upper River Region as political parties intensify preparations for the Dec. 5 presidential election.