By HaddY Touray
The United Democratic Party (UDP) has criticised what it described as divisive political rhetoric ahead of The Gambia’s December 5 presidential election, calling for greater focus on governance, public accountability and policy issues.
In a statement issued Sunday, the UDP said remarks attributed to Minister of Lands Hamat Bah at a National People’s Party (NPP) political meeting in Farafenni raised concerns about the use of ethnicity, ancestry and nationality in political discourse.
According to the UDP, Bah reportedly said that “foreigners from Lebanon” would never rule The Gambia, accused the UDP of “tribal cleansing” and alleged that a UDP government would remove civil servants and replace them with Gambians from the diaspora.
The UDP said such allegations were serious and should not be treated as ordinary campaign rhetoric when made by a serving government minister.
The party said political debate should instead focus on governance, policies and the performance of the government.
The statement also raised questions about the government’s management of an eco-lodge project contracted to Lerr Group.
The UDP cited parliamentary proceedings and media reports concerning the project, saying the contract was initially valued at about D97 million before being revised to D118.57 million. It said D72.73 million had reportedly been paid while the projects remained incomplete.
Parliamentary reporting shows that the contract was awarded to Lerr Group to construct eco-lodges at Barra, Kunkiling, Sotuma Sambakoi, Nyanga Bantang and Arafat. The contract value was subsequently increased to D118,571,910, while D72,727,748.26 had been paid to the contractor.
The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Abdoulie Jobe, told the National Assembly in March 2026 that none of the lodges had been completed and that construction had not commenced at Nyanga Bantang and Arafat. He also said the government had approved termination of the contract and legal proceedings against Lerr Group.
The UDP said the status of the projects raised questions about implementation and value for money.
“These are not tribal questions. They are questions of public accountability,” the party said.
The party also referred to allegations that Minister of Fisheries Musa Drammeh made comments at a gathering in New York warning members of the Sarahule community about a possible UDP government.
The UDP said that, if accurately reported, such remarks would be concerning, particularly because they allegedly came from a serving government minister addressing Gambians abroad.
The party further linked the current political rhetoric to similar allegations made during the 2021 election campaign, when it said former NPP National President Dembo Bojang accused the UDP of “ethnic cleansing”.
The UDP said the focus of the political debate should instead be on issues including employment, the cost of living, electricity supply, healthcare, agriculture, public debt and corruption.
“Gambians have real concerns, such as the cost of living, electricity supply, jobs, agriculture, healthcare, public debt and corruption,” the statement said.
The party called on government ministers to account for public resources, explain policy decisions and defend their record in office rather than engaging in what it described as ethnic or xenophobic rhetoric.
It also urged the media, civil society organisations and the public to scrutinise political claims and reject divisive rhetoric regardless of its source.
The UDP said the national political debate should focus on government performance, policies and proposed solutions rather than ethnicity, ancestry or nationality.
The Gambia is scheduled to hold its presidential election on December 5, 2026, with President Adama Barrow seeking re-election and opposition parties preparing to contest the poll.
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