By: The Fatu Network News Desk
United Democratic Party (UDP) leader Ousainou Darboe has set the stage for the 2026 presidential election by formally declaring his intention to seek the party’s flagbearer position. In a June 18 statement, Darboe announced his candidacy while urging unity within the party, acknowledging at the time that “the last few days have not been our best in the all-important arena of living and demonstrating unity of purpose.” His appeal came after public disputes between party figures, which Banjul Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe described as creating “the Darboe and Bensouda camps.”
The announcement reignited long-standing debates within the UDP over succession and generational leadership. Some members have openly expressed reluctance to back any leadership change. Brikama Area Council Chairman Yankuba Darboe, for instance, said earlier this year that if the party shifted its support away from Ousainou Darboe to another candidate, “I will find my way somewhere else.”
The party has since moved to formalise the process. On August 18, the UDP National Executive Committee announced the opening of applications for the flagbearer position. The application window runs until September 2, with a vetting process to follow before the official announcement of the party’s candidate on September 10. The statement stressed transparency, inclusivity, and internal democracy as guiding principles.
Just a day later, Yankuba Darboe made good on his earlier position, confirming on Facebook that he would not be applying. “My words are my bond,” he wrote, adding that since Ousainou Darboe has entered the race, he would step aside.
That leaves the spotlight on other potential contenders, though none has yet declared. Kanifing Municipality Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda, seen by many as the face of a younger generation of leadership, has not made any statement, particularly following the loss of his father this week. Banjul Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe, Lower River Region Chairman Landing B. Sanneh, and former OIC Secretariat CEO Lamin Sanneh are also frequently mentioned as possible candidates.
For now, the question remains open: who within the UDP will step forward to challenge Ousainou Darboe for the party’s top ticket in 2026? The answer may determine not only the future direction of the UDP but also the shape of the wider political contest against President Adama Barrow’s NPP government.
