By Tabora Bojang
An adviser to President Barrow has said the NPP leader will “easily beat” opposition UDP leader, Ousainu Darboe, in a rematch 2026 presidential election.
Saihou Mballow made the statement following a declaration by Mr Darboe on Wednesday that he will contest next year’s presidential election if selected as standard-bearer by the UDP.
Over the past week, the UDP has been rocked by internal squabbles over the likely succession of Darboe by Kanifing mayor Talib Bensouda. Some senior officials of the party have publicly opposed the idea and even threatened to quit forcing Mr Darboe to clear the air that he intends to stay on and quell the brewing firestorm threatening to consume the party.
Reacting to the development, Mr Mballow affirmed: “Barrow is set for victory in 2026. We are going to defeat Darboe. This is someone who has been defeated in elections five times in the past, so we have no problem with him coming back.”
Earlier this year, Barrow publicly stated that he will contest the election as candidate for the NPP expressing his fears that his young party may face an existentialist fate if he leaves now.
Mr Mballow said Barrow is a democrat and therefore welcomes Darboe’s announcement to contest as his civic right.
He added: “Darboe is a politician and founding member of the UDP and therefore if he is contesting we welcome him. We defeated him in 2021 with a huge margin. At this moment in the country with the development projects that President Adama Barrow has brought in terms of education, health care, sanitation, water and electricity infrastructure, a genuine democracy that is anchored on respect for fundamental rights, freedom of speech, freedom of association and women rights, we are not just expecting a victory but we are expecting to triple the defeat that we give Darboe in the 2021 presidential elections.”
