Youth Minister Dismisses Bensouda as Threat to Barrow’s 2026 Re-Election Bid

By Fatou Sillah

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Bakary Y. Badjie, has dismissed Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda as a serious threat to President Adama Barrow’s re-election bid, arguing that the opposition coalition backing the mayor lacks the electoral strength needed to unseat the incumbent in December.

Speaking in an interview with Teledal TV, Mr. Badjie expressed confidence that President Barrow would secure another term in the Dec. 5, 2026, presidential election, saying the political strength of Mr. Bensouda and his allies had been overstated.

“Talib is not our competitor; we know that,” Mr. Badjie said. “His Excellency President Barrow is winning this 2026 election outright.”

Mr. Bensouda, the mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council, has emerged as a prominent opposition figure ahead of the election. But Mr. Badjie sought to play down the significance of the coalition supporting him, noting that some political parties and individuals who had participated in earlier coalition discussions had since withdrawn.

He also questioned whether the previous electoral performances of some opposition figures suggested that, even collectively, they could pose a formidable challenge to President Barrow.

Mr. Badjie said the United Democratic Party, one of the country’s largest opposition parties, had also been weakened by internal divisions and defections following Mr. Bensouda’s departure. Several people who once played prominent roles in the U.D.P., he said, have since aligned themselves with the mayor.

Beyond the shifting opposition landscape, Mr. Badjie argued that the Barrow administration’s development record would be a decisive factor for voters, particularly in rural communities.

He pointed to improvements in roads, electricity, schools, and access to clean water, as well as social assistance programs, as evidence that the government had delivered tangible benefits to communities that had long lacked basic services.

“You go to the rural areas—areas that didn’t have roads before have roads now,” he said. “You have waited for 60 years to get electricity; you have electricity. You have schools, you have access to water, and then you have all the social support that is coming on board.”

Mr. Badjie also cited loans and grants provided to women’s groups and government investments in sports as part of the administration’s record.

He rejected suggestions that President Barrow’s recent engagements in rural communities amounted to early campaigning, saying the president was carrying out official duties and overseeing projects under his current mandate.

President Barrow’s term runs until Jan. 18, 2027, Mr. Badjie said, and the president would continue performing government functions and implementing projects until the end of that mandate.

Mr. Badjie said he expected the administration’s record on infrastructure and public services to weigh heavily on voters when they head to the polls on Dec. 5.