The United Democratic Party (UDP) will continue to be led by Ousainou Darboe until the party congress in 2026. At the Manjai Political Bureau on Sunday, Ousainou Darboe addressed his party’s militants and declared, “I am the UDP leader today. I do not plan to step down as UDP leader until the 2022 Congress. My intention is to hold the position of United Democratic Party leader until 2026.”

During an event honoring Buwa Fofana, a fervent follower of President Adama Barrow who defected from the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) to the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP), Ousainou Darboe was forthright and audacious regarding the escalating discussion regarding the party’s 2026 presidential candidate.

“Today, I am the UDP leader. I have no plans to leave as UDP leader before the 2022 Congress. I plan to remain the head of the United Democratic Party until 2026. In fact, I have a legion of ‘soldiers’ that will stop at nothing to keep me. I’m confident that no one in the UDP wants to take my job. So, my UDP militants, keep cool because you will hear a lot of false information. But I want to guarantee you that I will remain the party’s head until 2026, as long as my health and mental capabilities allow it. If my health and mental abilities fail me, I will call you and hand over the party leadership to you,” lawyer Ousainou Darboe told the militants gathered at the Manjai bureau.

Ousainou Darboe’s succession debate in 2026 refuses to fade in.

A week ago, the UDP leader warned his militants not to consider the question of a 2026 flagbearer and to avoid making it an internal controversy. Prior to Ousainou Darboe’s warning, the party’s spokesperson, Almami Taal, stated that the party has not yet chosen a flagbearer for the 2026 elections, despite rumors pointing to Mayor Talib Bensouda as a potential successor to senior leader Ousainu Darboe.

Recently, Banjul Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe accused UDP members of employing devious measures to stage a party “coup d’état” against lawyer Ousainou Darboe. Lowe made the allegation in a radio interview while defending herself against claims that she plans to defect to the ruling NPP, knowing she can’t succeed Ousainou Darboe in 2026. She stated that certain members of the UDP were embroiled in a hectic, behind-the-scenes plot to unseat Darboe, who has led the biggest opposition party since 1996.

Alhagie S. Darboe, the UDP minority leader in the national legislature, declared on Sunday that the party has no intention of choosing a leader in 2024, despite the heated discussion surrounding the 2026 flagbearer. “In our calendar year, we have no agenda for selecting any party leader; there is no leadership crisis in the UDP, and no UDP militant should entertain this debate.”

Ousainou Darboe has a firm hold on internal rebellious aspirations.

It’s unclear how any aspirational radical within the party could possibly be the UDP flagbearer in 2026 without Ousainou Darboe’s support—who anticipated this argument for years—or without elegantly breaking out of the party’s ranks. Ousainou and his staunch supporters have closed any political and legal doors left for anyone to be a flagbearer.

The former UDP constitution called for a congress in 2024, but things have altered since November 2022, when attendees at the Janjangbureh Congress revised the party’s constitution to prolong the leadership term from two to four years. Delegates at that congress stated that the change was intended to create more stability and rationalize the party’s resources by eliminating the high cost of organizing congresses every two years.

Young and ambitious UDP political players vying for the UDP flagship to confront Adama Barrow in 2026 have been accused of planning and hatching schemes to grab a position they believe will once again be Ousainou Darboe’s.

A few of these youthful, aspirant UDP leaders who are allegedly vying for Ousainou Darboe’s seat are Mayor Kanifing Talib Bensouda, Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe of Banjul, and, to a lesser extent, Mayor Brikama Yankuba Darboe.

However, after Ousainou Darboe made it clear on Sunday at the UDP Manjai Bureau that he plans to lead the party until the 2026 Congress, rumors around these leaders and their supporters now imply that, at the 2026 Congress, Ousainou Darboe will simply go through the formalities of declaring his candidacy and receiving a congress endorsement, with carefully chosen ardent surrogates attending the event as delegates, just as he did in 2018 at the Brikama Congress.