By Fatou Sillah
The National Assembly Member for Kiang West Constituency representing the United Democratic Party (UDP), Hon. Lamin Ceesay, has said that Talib Ahmed Bensouda, leader of the Unite Movement for Change (UMC), is committed to efforts aimed at building a united opposition coalition ahead of the 2026 presidential election.
Speaking in an interview with West Coast Radio, Ceesay said opposition figures across various political parties are engaged in ongoing discussions and are prepared to make compromises in order to form a broad alliance capable of challenging President Adama Barrow.
According to him, key opposition leaders, including Ousainu Darboe, Halifa Sallah, Mama Kandeh, and Essa Faal, remain committed to the idea of a united front despite differing political interests.
“The President knows that the opposition is going to have a coalition, and a coalition is going to be possible. Ousainu Darboe, he is very determined. You talk about Halifa Sallah; he is very much determined. You talk about Mama Kandeh he is very determined. You talk about Essa Faal; he is very much determined. And of course, people may take that differently, but I want to believe even UMC, their leader, Talib, is also very much determined to ensure that we have a united front, despite the fact that they may have their own political differences,” he said.
He added that opposition parties recognize the importance of prioritizing national interest over individual or party ambitions during coalition negotiations.
“But one principle that we all believe in is that we need to give something to this country. If we cannot deliver change for this country, which means the opposition failed this country, the opposition must not look at their individual selfish interests or their individual party interests, but they must look at the interests of the Gambian people,” he said.
Ceesay further expressed optimism that ongoing coalition talks would yield significant progress in the coming months, noting that discussions are already underway and that parties are willing to compromise in order to replicate a successful coalition model similar to that of 2016.
“Despite our different issues as opposition parties, we are ready to compromise… in the next two months, you will see very big progress,” he added.
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