Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The United Democratic Party (UDP) is facing a defining moment as internal contestation intensifies ahead of the 2026 presidential election. The party, The Gambia’s largest opposition force, is witnessing a sharp split between supporters of its long-time leader, Ousainou Darboe, and those rallying behind the youthful Mayor of Kanifing, Talib Ahmed Bensouda.
Since Bensouda officially submitted his application to contest the UDP’s flagbearer position, momentum within the party has accelerated, with senior figures and grassroots activists openly declaring their positions.
Applications are being received by the party’s administrative secretary, Alhagie S. Darboe, ahead of the September 2 deadline, with the final list of aspirants to be confirmed on September 3.
According to The Fatou Network, another prominent figure, lawyer Lamin Borry Touray, is also expected to enter the race before the deadline, joining Ousainou Darboe and Talib Bensouda as possible contenders.
A Generational Contest in Divided Party Voices
At 38, Talib Bensouda represents a new generation of leadership, positioning himself as the candidate of renewal within a party led by Ousainou Darboe since 1996.
His candidacy, the first to be confirmed, has injected energy and debate into the UDP, raising questions about whether the party should maintain continuity with Darboe—who is set to make his sixth bid for the presidency—or embrace younger leadership as it seeks to unseat President Adama Barrow in 2026.
The fault lines are already visible. Brikama Area Council chairman Yankuba Darboe, a vocal critic of Bensouda, has made clear his allegiance: “Lawyer Darboe is our candidate!” he declared.
Yet other influential voices within the UDP are firmly behind Bensouda. Tombong Saidy, the party’s lead communicator, has openly urged militants to rally behind the Kanifing mayor, describing him as the most credible candidate capable of defeating Barrow.
“If the UDP party is to remain the leading force for change and hope in The Gambia, it must rally behind a candidate who is credible, competent, and capable… That candidate is Talib Ahmed Bensouda,” Saidy argued.
National Assembly Member for Latrikunda Sabiji, Yahya Menteng Sanyang, has also endorsed Bensouda, describing him as the party’s strongest hope at a time when its survival is at stake. “When the party’s survival is on the line, we have a duty to ask our strongest candidate to step forward. #Talib,” he wrote on Facebook.
Meanwhile, political commentator Nanama Keita, who has long advocated for Bensouda’s candidacy, criticized both President Barrow and Ousainou Darboe as incapable of charting The Gambia’s future. “I can’t see the future, but I can say with near certainty that Gambia will NOT be salvaged in 2026—and we will have two people to blame: Adama Barrow and Lawyer Darboe,” he said.
Waiting on the Party Stalwarts
Despite the rising wave of endorsements for Bensouda, some of the UDP’s most senior figures—such as veteran politician Aji Yam Secka and loyalist Aji Yamoundow Yabo—have not yet spoken publicly, leaving uncertainty over how much support Darboe still commands among the old guard.
The UDP now finds itself at a crossroads: whether to continue under the veteran leadership of Darboe, who has been the face of the party for nearly three decades, or to embrace the youthful dynamism of Talib Bensouda as it seeks to reassert itself against the ruling NPP.
As the September 2 deadline approaches, the outcome of this internal contest is set to define the UDP’s strategy—and perhaps its unity—heading into the 2026 presidential race.
