By Omar Bah
Following the change of leadership in the opposition PDOIS where veterans Halifa Sallah and Sidia Jatta handed the reign to a younger generation, attention turned to longtime leader of the main opposition UDP Lawyer Ousainu Darboe, with many, mostly his critics, suggesting he should follow suit.
But when confronted to comment on these suggestions by The Standard, Darboe said: “Those critics can continue to say whatever they like. If it is longevity in politics Halifa and Sidia have been in the field longer than me. So look, I think those expressing these kind of views should mind their business. Those two gentlemen whom I have high regards for have looked at, and accessed themselves and came to a decision that they will quit. I will also decide when the time is right. I am not going to listen to those critics. I am not going to listen to them at all. I will decide when I want to leave politics because nobody told me to come into politics.”
Chances in 2026
The UDP leader expressed optimism that he can beat President Barrow in December.
“The voters that elected a president are the same voters that would remove him. The Gambia has never known any means of removing a president other than the ballot except in 1994 when the military did so with the gun. I pray and wish that something like that never happens in the history of this country again because the ballot is more powerful than the barrel of a gun. No matter how powerful a president is, if the citizens want to remove him they can do so through the ballot box. No president in Gambian history is more powerful than Yahya Jammeh but we were able to remove him through the ballot box,” Darboe asserted.
Advise to IEC
Meanwhile the UDP leader also offered a strong advice to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), urging them to uphold absolute transparency during the coming voter supplementary registration and the 2026 polls, warning that opacity could ignite violence.
Darboe reminded the IEC that elections are usually the prerequisite of violence if not properly managed especially during voter registrations.
“Let us ensure the integrity of the elections which commences with the voter registration. If the registrations are good then the elections are good,” he said.
Darboe argued that the mere fact that a man comes with an ID card should not itself be conclusive. “It may just constitute prima facie evidence of his citizenship. It cannot be conclusive. So the IEC should interrogate claimers, particularly claimers who appear to be suspicious. Interrogate them properly to arrive at a proper decision,” he advised.
He added that it is the responsibility of the IEC to ensure that the whole process from voter registration to voting day and vote counting is transparent and in accordance with the rule of law.
“We don’t want violence in this country because we don’t know violence especially election violence.I urged the IEC to monitor the process to ensure that only eligible Gambians are registered and allowed to vote,” the UDP leader emphasised.
He said the IEC should be on lookout for people who collect attestations and taking them to the alkalolu to stamp them only for them to write names of people who are not even Gambians to seek for voters’ card.
“I also appeal to you (IEC) to prepare attestation forms with serial numbers for those who don’t have Gambian documents and ensure they are accompanied to the alkalolu. It looks tedious but it assures election integrity,” he said.
Darboe said the IEC should work with all election stakeholders to ensure that the elections are fair, free and transparent.
He also urged the IEC to pay attention to non-Gambians with Gambian ID cards, passports and birth certificates.
“The IEC should understand that the chiefs and alkalolu cannot ascertain all those who reside in their districts or villages. It is the responsibility of the IEC to ensure that these people are well vetted to ascertain whether they are Gambians or not. That said, I urged all those residing in this country to ensure that they comply with the law.”
Revising courts
Commenting on whether the UDP will this time seek redress at the revising court when there are suspicions of anomalies in the voter registration, Darboe said: “I hope that a situation will not arise which will compel the UDP or any other party to take matters to the revising courts. We expect that everything will be done according to the spirit and letter of the law. That is what we expect so that there would not be any need for that.”
