Ousainu ANM Darboe, UDP Party Leader
By Makutu Manneh
The leader and presidential flag bearer of the United Democratic Party (UDP), ANM Ousainu Darboe, has urged party members to view the December 5, 2026 presidential election not as a routine political contest, but as a national rescue mission.
Speaking over the weekend at the party’s management retreat, Darboe said the upcoming election would be decisive in determining whether The Gambia moves forward or remains trapped by rigid systems and unfulfilled expectations.
“This places clear responsibility on the UDP. Our party has always been strong because it is organized, united, disciplined, and grounded in the people,” he said.
However, he cautioned that the party’s strength did not come automatically, noting that it was built and sustained through deliberate planning, coordination, and regulation at every level of the organization.
Darboe described the 2026 presidential election as critical to the country’s future, recalling that the UDP was founded during a period marked by repression, exclusion, and the collective desire of Gambians for freedom and peace.
He said Gambians today continue to raise serious concerns about governance, accountability, economic opportunity, and national cohesion. According to him, citizens across towns and villages are increasingly worried about the rising cost of living, youth unemployment, irregular migration, poor service delivery, corruption, and the growing disconnect between national priorities and the everyday struggles of ordinary people.
“This retreat is therefore not an academic exercise. It has a clear purpose; firstly, it is to align our leadership and structures around a shared value, a shared national strategy of 2026, one that is realistic, coherent, and rooted in the concerns of Gambians,” he said.
He added that the retreat is also aimed at clarifying lines of responsibility and strengthening coordination across all levels of the party, so that messaging, organization, and campaign activities reinforce one another rather than operate in isolation.
Darboe further stressed the need to ensure operational readiness across all regions, saying the party must be prepared, disciplined, and effective as the campaign period intensifies.
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