By Haddy Touray
United Democratic Party (UDP) leader Ousainou Darboe has called on his party’s supporters in the diaspora to mobilise resources and voters ahead of The Gambia’s presidential election scheduled for 5 December.
Speaking at the UDP Diaspora Convention in London on Saturday, Darboe said the election would be “consequential” for the country and urged party members and supporters to remain focused on what he described as the need for political change.
Darboe, who is the UDP’s presidential candidate, called on Gambians in the diaspora to support the party’s campaign by mobilising resources, engaging family members and friends at home and, where eligible, returning to The Gambia to participate in the electoral process.
“You in the diaspora have an important role to play,” Darboe told the gathering, urging supporters to use their networks to encourage voters to support the UDP-led alliance.
He also called for the mobilisation of supporters for election-day activities, including logistics and polling duties.
Darboe said the UDP and its alliance partners would present voters with what he described as clear plans and policies aimed at addressing the country’s challenges.
He welcomed the Gambia For All (GFA), led by former UDP leader and former Vice President Bakary Bunja Darboe, as the latest partner in the UDP-led alliance.
He said the alliance remained open to other opposition parties that shared its stated political values.
“Our doors remain open to the rest of the opposition parties who espouse the same values with us to come and work with us for the greater good of the country,” Darboe said.
The UDP leader also paid tribute to members of the party’s diaspora chapters who have died, recalling their contributions to the establishment and development of the party’s structures in Europe and the United States.
He mentioned the late Musa Ceesay, described as the founding chairman of the first UDP diaspora chapter in France in 1997; Omar Trawally, a founding member of the UDP New York chapter; Sainey Jammeh, a founding member of the Sweden chapter; and Mariama Touray, who he said played a pioneering role in establishing the Denmark chapter.
Darboe also recognised long-standing party supporters in the diaspora, including members of the New York, France, Sweden, Nordic and GASH chapters.
Turning to the December election, Darboe accused the Barrow administration of poor governance and said the UDP-led alliance was seeking to replace the incumbent government through the ballot box.
He urged supporters to concentrate their campaign efforts on President Adama Barrow and the National People’s Party (NPP), while avoiding confrontations with other opposition parties.
“The only opponent in this contest is Adama Barrow,” Darboe said, urging UDP supporters not to respond to what he described as provocations, insults and false accusations on social media and during campaign activities.
He instead called on supporters to promote the party’s policies and campaign message.
Darboe said voters were more interested in solutions to their daily challenges than political insults and urged UDP supporters to engage them through what he described as persuasion and constructive campaigning.
The UDP leader expressed confidence that voters would support the party’s call for political change in December.
The Gambia is scheduled to hold its presidential election on 5 December 2026, with President Adama Barrow seeking another term and opposition parties preparing to contest the poll.