By Fatou Sillah
Veteran journalist and former Minister of Information Demba Ali Jawo has said the United Democratic Party (UDP), the country’s largest single opposition party, may need to reassess its political messaging to better connect with younger voters ahead of the 2026 presidential election.
Speaking in an interview with West Coast Radio on the state of the country’s political landscape, Jawo said some observers have called on the UDP to reevaluate itself and consider fielding a younger candidate than Ousainou Darboe.
He said that while age alone should not determine a candidate’s ability to win an election, public perception and voters’ appetite for a fresh political outlook can still shape electoral outcomes.
“Some people actually have been calling for UDP to reevaluate themselves and probably look for a younger candidate than continuing with Ousainu Darboe. Probably, I mean, that could have helped,” he said.
Jawo added that Darboe’s age should not, on its own, be viewed as a major disadvantage, noting that older leaders have continued to win elections in other countries.
“People feel that he’s been there for how many years now? I mean, he has contested several elections, and he has not been able to make it. Is it likely that he would be able to make it this year? Probably, if they had changed their candidate, it could have kind of brought in some kind of new perspective to it or something like that. That’s what some analysts would say, but as I say, age definitely doesn’t matter here much,” he said.
Jawo also spoke about President Adama Barrow’s ability to draw former political opponents into his camp, describing it as one of the president’s notable political strengths.
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