By Binta Jaiteh
The Youth President of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP), Hajie Suwaneh has criticised the newly formed alliance between the Unite Movement for Change (UNITE) and the National Unity Party (NUP).
He describes the alliance as a political arrangement aimed at misleading Gambians ahead of the 2026 presidential election.
Speaking in an interview with The Voice Newspaper on Thursday, Suwaneh alleged that the alliance was driven by political propaganda rather than a genuine commitment to national development.
He argued that Gambians continued to face serious challenges, including economic hardship, and said the country required effective leadership and good governance rather than what he described as political manoeuvring.
“We must not be fooled again. The Gambia does not need change for the sake of change. We need leadership with political integrity and a clear vision to change our trajectory,” he said.
Referring to Coalition 2026, Suwaneh questioned what he described as inconsistencies in the positions adopted by UNITE and NUP.
According to him, UNITE had previously criticised the UDP for proposing a party-led alliance with the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) while Coalition 2026 negotiations were ongoing.
He said that after the UDP withdrew from Coalition 2026, UNITE remained within the coalition before subsequently signing a bilateral alliance agreement with the NUP.
“The same UNITE, after the UDP’s withdrawal, chose to remain in the coalition. Now UNITE has signed a party-led alliance agreement with the NUP—the very thing they criticised the UDP for,” he remarked.
Suwaneh maintained that politics should be guided by principles and accused some political actors of engaging in deception and propaganda.
He further alleged that UNITE’s political objective was centred on opposing the UDP rather than presenting alternative policy proposals.
“UNITE is not vision-motivated. They are driven by a mission, and the mission is to fight the UDP,” he alleged.
Suwaneh says The Gambia needs competent leadership capable of addressing corruption, unemployment and governance challenges.
He highlights that the UDP’s vision is focused on job creation, combating corruption and transforming the country’s economy.
Calling on Gambians to support political change, Suwaneh urged voters to reject what he described as politics of deception and work towards unseating President Adama Barrow in the next presidential election.
He emphasizes that the country requires leadership committed to completing constitutional reforms, strengthening institutions, promoting merit-based governance and fighting corruption.