By Kemo Kanyi &Haddy Touray
Leaders of Coalition 2026 have renewed calls for political change and opposition unity ahead of The Gambia’s 5 December 2026 presidential election.
Speaking at a Coalition 2026 NUP/UNITE alliance unity rally at the Brikama SSP Field on Sunday, coalition leaders criticised the government of President Adama Barrow and urged voters to support the opposition alliance.
Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda said nothing would prevent him from contesting the presidential election, arguing that political pressure and scrutiny had strengthened rather than weakened his resolve.
“It is not going to be easy. They will fight us day and night,” Bensouda told supporters.
He referred to commissions of inquiry into his affairs, saying he had reviewed the report concerning him and found nothing that would prevent him from contesting the election.
“I have seen my commission report, and there is nothing in it to stop me from running for president in 2026,” he said.
Bensouda alleged that efforts to undermine his political ambitions had been ongoing for some time, but said the challenges had made him more determined.
“They have been cooking it for a long time because they know this day is coming,” he said. “But with all the fight they subjected me to, they have made me stronger.”
“What they have planned for me is the same thing I have planned for them. Nothing can stop my candidacy in this world,” he added.
The mayor’s remarks came as the NUP and UNITE alliance sought to demonstrate unity among opposition forces ahead of the presidential election.
Meanwhile, economist and politician Dr Ousman Gajigo criticised the Barrow administration over what he described as The Gambia’s excessive dependence on imported rice.
Gajigo said the country had sufficient land, water resources and agricultural expertise to produce more rice locally, arguing that inadequate investment had contributed to the continued reliance on imports.
“Today, of every 100 bags of rice in this country, 90 of them are imported from outside The Gambia,” he said. “Why is that happening when we are a country that can harvest our own rice?”
He also criticised what he described as inadequate use of development assistance intended to strengthen productive sectors of the economy.
According to Gajigo, greater investment in agriculture and food production would help reduce import dependence and expand economic opportunities.
He used the rally to call for political change, arguing that presidential power should not be exercised indefinitely.
“President Barrow, your time is up,” Gajigo said, adding that Gambians who supported Barrow in the 2016 and 2021 elections would have the opportunity to decide his political future in 2026.
He urged voters to use the election to choose a government committed to economic development, particularly in agriculture and food security.
For his part, National Unity Party (NUP) leader Lamin J. Darboe called on Gambians to support Coalition 2026, saying opposition unity was essential to defeating President Barrow.
Darboe said a change of government was necessary to create opportunities for young people, empower women and strengthen good governance.
“On the 5th of December, let us all go and cast our votes, and we will remove President Barrow from power so that we can empower the women, the youth, and everybody in the country and bring good governance to the country,” he said.
He said good governance should provide young people with opportunities to acquire skills, establish businesses and participate meaningfully in the economy.
Darboe also called for greater opportunities for women and other groups to contribute to national development.
He said leadership should be based on integrity, compassion and discipline, arguing that shortcomings in governance had contributed to some of the difficulties facing Gambians.
Reflecting on the 2016 presidential election, Darboe recalled the opposition coalition that united to end former President Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year rule.
He said many Gambians supported Barrow at the time in the expectation that his administration would deliver meaningful political and economic change, but argued that those expectations had not been fulfilled.
Darboe said growing dissatisfaction with the government had reinforced calls for opposition parties to put aside their differences and work together ahead of the December election.
He said the NUP and its partners under Coalition 2026 were responding to those calls by joining forces to challenge Barrow at the polls.
Darboe also expressed confidence that the results of the presidential election would be known by the day after voting.