By Omar Bah
UDP leader Ousainu Darboe has called on his supporters to avoid uttering or doing anything that could cause violence during and after this weekend’s presidential election.
Addressing thousands of supporters on Friday outside his Kairaba Avenue residence, Mr Darboe said: “I want to call on all of you to be careful of what you utter or do. We should not do anything that will create election violence in this country. Anything that will bring violence is not in the interest of this country. We should not allow history to portray us as people who went to the State House through violence and rule based on violence. I urge all of you to come out in December and vote for the UDP because if you vote for any other party besides the UDP your vote will be wasted.”
Darboe said the December election provides an opportunity for Gambian voters to make “a choice between a leader who is concerned about the economic progress of this country and a leader who is concerned only about his personal wellbeing. This is an election where you will make a choice between a leader that lives up to his words and a leader who doesn’t.”
He added: “We will use our 5-point agenda to address the challenges in the health service delivery, agriculture, IT and energy, tourism and education sectors. We have everything that will create a capable state for the delivery of social services.”
Darboe explained why he pulled out of the campaign: “Two days ago, I pulled out of the campaign trail because after performing the Asr prayers, while folding my prayer mat, I tripped and fell and then sustained a minor fracture. I couldn’t be attended to in the LRR in the manner I wanted medically. So, I had to come back to Banjul to have a better medical evaluation.”
