By: The Fatu Network Newsroom
The leadership race inside the United Democratic Party (UDP) took a decisive step forward on Friday as Kanifing Municipal Council Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda formally submitted his application to contest for the party’s flagbearer position in the 2026 presidential election. His application was delivered by a member of his team to the UDP’s administrative secretary, Alhagie S. Darboe, marking the first formal step in the party’s selection process.
Only hours later, in what many saw as a calculated response, Yankuba Darboe, Chairman of the Brikama Area Council and one of the UDP’s most outspoken figures, reaffirmed his allegiance to the veteran leader Ousainou Darboe with a short post online declaring: “Lawyer Darboe is our candidate!”
The UDP, Gambia’s largest opposition party, has been grappling with a high-stakes internal debate over succession. The question is whether Ousainou Darboe, the party’s long-time leader who has contested every presidential election since the late 1990s, should once again lead the party into the 2026 vote, or whether the time has come for younger leadership to take the reins.
That question has often been personified in the political rise of Talib Bensouda, a two-term mayor of Kanifing and one of the UDP’s most visible younger politicians. Over the past year, Bensouda’s growing influence and personal branding, manifested in campaign-style t-shirts, posters, and a loyal youth base, has generated tension within the party, with critics accusing him of putting self-promotion ahead of party unity.
The internal rift first burst into public view in June when Banjul Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe complained on Eye Africa TV that she had endured sustained abuse from within her own party without protection from the leadership. Days later, Yankuba Darboe went further, telling Mengbe Kereng TV that if Talib ever replaced Ousainou Darboe as flagbearer, he would “find [his] way somewhere else.”
In the wake of these tensions, Ousainou Darboe ended speculation on June 19 by announcing that he would indeed contest to remain the UDP’s presidential candidate. Soon after, the party’s National Executive Committee opened a formal process for applications, with the deadline set for September 2, 2025 and a final decision scheduled for September 10.
This timeline set the stage for Friday’s developments, with Bensouda taking the plunge by formally entering the race, and Yankuba Darboe wasting no time in signalling loyalty to the older Darboe, effectively drawing battle lines within the UDP.
The latest events highlight the contest between generations within the party, with the flagbearer race shaping up as a showdown between Ousainou Darboe, the 77-year-old political veteran, and Talib Bensouda, the 37-year-old mayor seen by many as the face of a younger UDP. While the official process allows space for competition, the very public split exemplified by Yankuba Darboe’s declaration risks deepening divisions if not carefully managed.
With the 2026 election less than 18 months away, the UDP has little time to resolve its internal questions. Independent voters, activists, and analysts like Madi Jobarteh and Nyang Njie have already warned that the longer the feud lingers, the more it could damage the party’s national appeal.
For now, the UDP insists that all aspirants will be treated equally and must follow established party procedures. But with both Ousainou Darboe and Talib Bensouda now officially in the race, the party’s ability to balance loyalty, ambition, and unity will be tested in the weeks ahead.
By September 10, the UDP is expected to announce who will carry its banner into the 2026 presidential election, whether the familiar face of its veteran leader or a younger challenger seeking to redefine the party’s future.
