Gambiaj.com – (SEATTLE, United States) – The Gambia’s former First Lady Tuti Faal has called on Gambians, particularly politicians, to embrace tolerance, respect, and peaceful political competition ahead of the 2026 presidential election, using personal anecdotes involving former President Yahya Jammeh, NRP leader Hamat Bah, and UDP leader Ousainou Darboe to illustrate her message.
Speaking as the Special Chief Patron at the National People’s Party (NPP) Seattle Chapter’s 2026 Diaspora Fundraising Reception, Faal said women play a decisive role in determining electoral outcomes and should not be sidelined once political leaders attain power.
“Anyone that wins, it is us, the women, that make you win,” she said. “If we want you to prosper, you will. But if we want you to fail, you will fail.”
She said women should be recognized for the sacrifices they make in supporting families and communities, arguing that political leaders often forget the women who remain at home caring for children and managing households.
A Lesson from Jammeh
Faal drew on her experience as the wife of former President Yahya Jammeh to argue that political differences should not destroy personal relationships or national unity.
She recalled that Jammeh was known for making forceful and sometimes “hot” political statements, which she said she would occasionally challenge him over.
“When he told me about his intentions, I told him I would reach out to the people, and I did that with honor and discipline,” she said, recalling her political mobilization efforts during Jammeh’s presidency.
She said her approach enabled her to engage people across political lines and attract supporters from different backgrounds.
The Hamat Bah Tea Story
Faal also recalled an encounter involving NRP leader Hamat Bah, who at the time was a political opponent of Jammeh.
According to Faal, Bah had confidently predicted that his political camp would win an election and that he would eventually enter State House, where she would prepare tea for him.
After Jammeh won the election, Faal said she reminded her husband of Bah’s prediction.
“I told my husband we won this election, but Hamat Bah should drink tea. He should come and drink my tea,” she recalled.
Jammeh reportedly questioned whether she was serious, but Faal insisted that she was.
She said she subsequently invited Bah to the State House, prepared tea for him, and shared a laugh with him.
“That is politics,” she said, using the anecdote to demonstrate that political competition does not have to translate into personal hostility.
Encounter with Darboe
Tuti Faal and ex husband Yahya Jammeh
Faal also recalled an encounter with veteran opposition politician and UDP leader Lawyer Ousainou Darboe.
She said she was once at a shop in Bakau when she overheard someone mention that they had traveled with Darboe, who was waiting in a vehicle outside.
Faal said she went outside, greeted Darboe, and showed him respect.
For her, the encounter reflected a political culture in which opponents could disagree while maintaining personal dignity and respect.
“This is what we knew: respect elders, and elders also help the young ones,” she said.
She argued that political differences should never be allowed to become grounds for hatred or violence.
Women and the Right to Choose
Faal also shared a story involving her mother and grandmother to underscore her belief that women must be allowed to make their own political choices.
She recalled that during an election period, her mother and grandmother decided to go to the polls despite her own decision not to vote.
Faal said she initially tried to discourage them and even told them that if they insisted on going, they would not be taken by her driver.
But her mother, whom she described as “the queen in the house,” prevailed, and the driver took them to vote.
Faal said the episode eventually made her recognize that voting was a personal choice and that family relationships should not be determined by political allegiance.
“I came to realize this is their decision and choice. Anyone they want to vote for is whom they will vote for,” she said.
“The Gambia Belongs to Us.”
Faal urged politicians and citizens to approach the 2026 elections with patience and tolerance, warning that political quarreling and division would benefit no one.
“Politics is not about fighting, not about quarreling,” she said. “We are from the same mom and dad. Anyone in a position that is destined by Allah, and your time ends, you will leave.”
She said political power was temporary and should therefore not be used to justify hostility among Gambians.
“The Gambia belongs to us, so we shouldn’t divide it,” she said, ending with a prayer for peace.
Her appeal comes as political parties and alliances intensify mobilization ahead of the December 5, 2026 presidential election, with the political landscape increasingly defined by alliances, realignments, and competition between the governing NPP and opposition formations.
For Tuti Faal, however, the electoral contest should remain a competition over political ideas and leadership, not a battle that pits Gambians against one another.
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