By Kemo Kanyi
Momodou S. Dibba has resigned as Vice Chairperson and member of the Coalition 2026 Mediation Committee (CMC), citing disagreements over the direction of the coalition talks and the voting mechanism adopted by participating political parties.
In a resignation letter addressed to CMC Chairperson Yero Jallow on Tuesday, Dibba said he could no longer continue to participate in a process whose direction he did not support.
He said he joined the committee as a governance and political affairs professional to support efforts aimed at building a united opposition ahead of the 2026 presidential election.
According to Dibba, one of the committee’s responsibilities was to advise political parties on the conduct of the coalition negotiations, including the mechanism for decision-making.
He said the committee had recommended a weighted voting system that would take into account the relative size of participating political parties when deciding between a party-led and a candidate-led coalition.
However, he said the majority of participating political entities opted instead for a one-party, one-vote system, under which all parties were accorded equal voting rights regardless of their electoral strength or organizational size.
Dibba said the adoption of that voting mechanism resulted in the selection of a candidate-led coalition model.
He noted that some stakeholders, including political parties that favored a party-led coalition and himself, had raised concerns over the decision but continued to participate in the negotiations in the hope that differences over the voting mechanism would eventually be resolved.
“With current developments and the state of affairs, and with the one-entity, one-vote mechanism continuing to determine the direction of the talks, reconciliation is highly unlikely,” Dibba said in the letter.
He added that, rather than continuing to participate in a process in which he no longer had confidence, he had decided to resign with immediate effect.
Dibba thanked the opposition political parties and his colleagues on the mediation committee for the opportunity to serve and wished them success in their efforts.
He said he remained available to support future opposition coalition initiatives that take into account party size, organizational presence and previous electoral performance during negotiations.