Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda, Mayor Of Kanifing
By Makutu Manneh
The Mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC), Talib Ahmed Bensouda, has responded to recent remarks made by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Bakary Badjie, describing the minister as “quite bitter” over his two electoral defeats in mayoral contests.
In a recent interview on Eye Africa TV, Minister Badjie suggested that Mayor Bensouda would struggle to win elections without the backing of the United Democratic Party (UDP), adding that he would defeat the KMC mayor if they were to contest against each other again.
Responding during an interview on Gambia Talents TV, Mayor Bensouda dismissed the comments, attributing them to lingering frustration over past election outcomes.
“I think he is quite bitter about the two defeats. But he should try again. I am not going to contest again—maybe he would be lucky,” Bensouda said.
The mayor further argued that a fair measure of popularity between himself and the minister would be for both to contest as independent candidates, without the support of major political parties such as the UDP and the National People’s Party (NPP).
Reflecting on their electoral history, Bensouda recalled that in the 2018 mayoral election, Minister Badjie ran as an independent candidate while he contested under the UDP ticket, securing about 29,000 votes compared to Badjie’s 5,000. He added that during their second contest, Badjie was a sitting minister with the backing of the president, his party, and allied political forces, yet he was defeated again, with Bensouda winning approximately 56,000 votes to Badjie’s 40,000.
However, Mayor Bensouda downplayed the significance of the exchange, describing it as routine political rhetoric.
“But I think it is political talk because I have declared during my reelection that if I am re-elected it would be my last term,” he said.
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