Friday, September 12, 2025
UDP in Turmoil: Resignations Rock Gambia’s Main Opposition
By JarraNews Staff Writer
United Democratic Party (UDP), Gambia’s main opposition force, appears to be grappling with its most serious internal crisis yet, with signs of disintegration following a bitter battle over the party’s flagbearership.
What was expected to be a routine process of selecting a standard-bearer ahead of the 2026 general elections has instead spiraled into factionalism, insults, and mass resignations. The fallout is raising questions about whether the once-formidable party is heading toward political irrelevance.
The controversy began when party leader Ousainou Darboe, Talib Ahmed Bensouda—Mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council—and nine others submitted their applications for the UDP flagbearer position. Instead of a unifying democratic exercise, the selection process turned toxic.
Supporters divided into camps, engaging in online and offline confrontations marked by smear campaigns, personal attacks, and character assassinations.
At the center of the storm was Mayor Bensouda, a rising star in Gambian politics, who became the primary target of relentless criticism from within the party. The hostility grew so intense that he ultimately withdrew his application, leaving many of his supporters disillusioned.
The party’s selection committee eventually announced veteran leader Ousainou Darboe as the flagbearer—a figure who has led UDP through decades of struggle but also one who has suffered five consecutive election defeats: four against former president Yahya Jammeh and the most recent in 2021 against incumbent Adama Barrow.
Instead of rallying around Darboe, the announcement triggered an exodus of prominent members, especially those aligned with Bensouda. In what is now being described as a wave of “mass resignation,” several senior figures have abandoned the party in quick succession.
National Campaign Manager Karafa Sonko and executive member Malick Sowe, a former chairmanship aspirant for Janjanbureh, both tendered their resignations this week. Their exits came just a day after the departure of Tombong Saidy and Baboucarr Loppy. All are widely seen as loyalists of Bensouda.
Observers warn that the UDP is now at a dangerous crossroads.
Instead of presenting a united opposition to President Barrow’s National People’s Party (NPP), the UDP appears consumed by internal rivalries. The rift between the old guard, embodied by Darboe, and the younger generation, represented by Bensouda, may signal an irreversible fracture.
For many Gambians, the developments raise a sobering question: Can the UDP, once the symbol of democratic resistance, survive this storm—or is it gradually digging its own grave?
However the current political situation is only signalling a victory for president Barrow and the National People’s Party (NPP).
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