By Omar Bah
The United Democratic Party (UDP) is set to embark on a reconciliatory mission aimed at healing internal rifts and presenting a united front ahead of the crucial presidential contest in 2026.
At the center of this initiative is the planned reconciliation with the influential former executive committee member and political heavy weight Mayor Talib Bensouda and other key party members whose recent disagreements have threatened the party’s cohesion. These talks are expected to address not only personal misunderstandings but also deeper strategic disagreements about the party’s future direction, leadership roles, candidate nominations and policy priorities.
UDP, which has historically been one of the most prominent opposition parties in The Gambia, faces fresh challenges as it prepares for intensified competition in upcoming electoral cycles.
Asked how the party intents to approach the controversy surrounding its former National Organising Secretary Talib Bensouda and others, Lamin Manneh, the UDP deputy secretary external affairs, said the party leadership will prioritise dialogue meetings designed to bridge divides and recalibrate its strategies for the national elections.
“Once the selection process is over (today) we are going to have a series of meetings where we will finalise the strategy, approach and how to bring everybody back together and to read from the same hymn book. That is going to be a collective thing after the flag bearer selection. We will definitely come together and do that. We will sit together and fine-tune,” Manneh said.
He disclosed that the IEC will come to the selection and conduct the election transparently without any interference and whosoever wins the party will rally behind him and give him all the necessary support. “We are confident that all those who were supporting other candidates will come back together to ensure we galvanise again ahead of the 2026 presidential election. We want to show the Gambian people that we are able to bring our supporters back together and form a formidable force so that we are able to remove this maladministration of Barrow in 2026,” Manneh said.
