By Omar Bah
The United Democratic Party (UDP) deputy administrative secretary for external affairs Lamin Manneh, has said that President Adama Barrow stands no chance of victory in the upcoming December 2026 presidential election.
Addressing a meeting on Saturday organised to welcome former presidential aspirant Alhagie Suwareh to the UDP, Mr Manneh repeated a familiar allegation that the governing NPP stole the elections in 2021 insisting that the UDP is well prepared this time to ensure that doesn’t happen again.
Manneh added: “Adama Barrow knows he cannot win a free and fair election in this country. They know they cannot steal the elections or register non-Gambians. This is why they are going to countries giving Gambians ID cards and giving millions of loans to NPP women groups.”
However, Manneh admitted that beating President Barrow will require collective action from all Gambians.
“We should all endeavour and come out in our large numbers to vote on Election Day,” he said.
He urged all Gambians yearning for change to ensure they are registered and are eligible to vote.
Manneh pointed to soaring food prices—as evidence of widespread voter discontent that will drive change. “The country is really suffering,” Manneh stated, emphasising UDP’s competence to reverse these trends.
He urged the opposition and citizens to unite behind the UDP to unseat Barrow.
He maintained that the UDP can lead but needs the support of all genuine Gambians.
Buttressing Mr Manneh’s claims that the UDP is ready to ensure the elections are free and fair, the National Assembly Member for Central Badibbu Sulayman Saho said the UDP has come up with very strong plans to ensure foreigners do not vote in December.
“We have deployed these tactics in Kaiaf and it worked,” he added.
