By Makutu Manneh
Ebrima Dibba, National President of the Unite Movement for Change (UMC), has declared that members of the movement are prepared to go to any lengths to ensure that their leader, Talib Ahmed Bensouda, is not barred from contesting the upcoming December presidential election.
“If they want to block Talib’s candidacy on no basis, we will put our lives on the line for that not to happen. We will not allow that,” Dibba said in an interview on the Kerr Fatou Show.
Dibba expressed concern over protracted delays in the movement’s registration with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), warning that the holdup is hampering UMC’s growth despite strong public turnout at its recent national congress. He estimated that formal party registration would have boosted the movement’s support base by at least 20 percent.
While stopping short of directly accusing the government of interference, Dibba acknowledged that the registration delays work in the ruling administration’s favor. “I am not accusing the government of interfering with our registration, but I know this is to their advantage,” he said.
He used the occasion to formally announce Bensouda’s presidential candidacy to the nation. “In our last congress, we elected Talib as our candidate for the December election. I am telling the entire country to support him,” Dibba said.
When asked whether the movement was concerned about findings in the Local Government Commission of Inquiry report relating to Bensouda, Dibba drew attention to the country’s broader democratic obligations. “This country went through brutality and human rights violations, and we should not allow that to happen here again,” he said.
He also directed pointed remarks at President Adama Barrow, advising that a leader unwilling to relinquish power after a decade in office has no moral standing to obstruct the political ambitions of others.
Dibba concluded by announcing that UMC will launch a nationwide tour in June, which he said will demonstrate the movement’s reach across all regions of the country.
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