The chairman of the Brikama Area Council, Yankuba Darboe, has admitted that there are divisions within the United Democratic Party (UDP) and has accused Talib Ahmed Bensouda’s followers of escalating the internal strife.
Mr. Darboe said in a recent interview with MembeKering’s Pa Modou Bojang that Mr. Bensouda’s leadership in the West Coast Region has been undermined by members of his camp actively working against him in his own area.
“Yes, there are camps within the UDP, but the issue is with Talib’s camp,” Mr. Darboe stated. Even in my own area, they visit Foni without notifying me, walk behind me, and give away sugar to locals while claiming it comes from Talib. “Your chairman is unable to provide you with sugar because he lacks funds,” they remark.
Mr. Darboe stated that he believes this behaviour violates party unity and that he has regularly seen it. He stated that he personally confronted Mr. Bensouda and accused him of being the cause of the party’s internal strife, saying, “If we are in the same party and claim to be one, this should not happen.”
“I informed Talib that he is the party’s biggest issue. Mr. Darboe stated, “I can name individuals from his camp who are actively campaigning against me—not APRC members or NPP members, but his own people.” They circulated unfavourable information about me by going from house to house in the West Coast Region. The party is being torn apart by this behaviour, which is now spreading on social media.
Mr. Darboe recalled that Rohey Malick Lowe, the mayor of Banjul, had previously alerted him to the possibility of political conflict with Mr. Bensouda’s supporters. Mr. Darboe rejected her worries at the time.
“Talib and I were pretty close back then. He remarked, “I didn’t trust what Rohey told me.” But I’m starting to see it now. You can’t attack someone in the back and call them your brother.
Mr. Darboe claimed that although Mr. Bensouda has been abused and called “temperamental” by members of his group, he has not responded in like.
“Yankuba Darboe may only be in office for two years, but he is in charge of The Gambia’s largest region, and some people voted for me,” he stated. “Those people will naturally defend me when you attack me—even people I don’t personally know have defended me.”
Mr. Darboe added that he is currently fighting on several fronts, including against President Adama Barrow and the governor of the West Coast Region. However, he was irritated that his own party was now one of his opponents.
“I don’t engage in combat. He claimed, “I don’t pay people in KMC, I don’t distribute sugar, I don’t give out t-shirts, and I have no supporters in the Kanifing Municipal Council.” “Landing Sanneh in LRR and Rohey Lowe in Banjul are my sole allies outside of my district. However, even in my own backyard, I encounter opposition.
Mr. Darboe further said that he had previously received vehicles from the Kanifing Municipal Council to help him with his work, but that support was abruptly stopped when he refused to give Mr. Bensouda official recognition.
They requested that I go to the press and say that Talib was assisting me with trucks. I refused to do it, I told them. Why ought I to? “We belong to the same party,” he declared. “I gave them permission to dump in Tambana without requesting recognition when they encountered problems with Bakoteh. That’s the proper way to handle a brother.
In response to a question about whether Mr. Bensouda’s trips to Foni were a part of his official duties as the Organising Secretary of the UDP, Mr. Darboe denied that.
Mr. Darboe declared, “He is not travelling there on the UDP’s behalf.” I even accompanied them on their tours of the area and greeted them upon their return. However, I was not told when they moved to Foni. I recently saw it in the news. He used to tell me, but he no longer does.
The chairman of Brikama also mentioned a meeting he held with Ms. Lowe and Mr. Bensouda, during which they decided to publicly discuss party issues. According to Mr. Darboe, he was honest throughout the meeting, but he feels that this has made things worse.
After I spoke the truth, things got more challenging. Talib is the issue. The party can proceed if Talib changes,” he stated.
Mr. Darboe asserts that although the UDP leadership has called on all members to stop fighting among themselves, Mr. Bensouda is still distancing himself from the behaviour of his followers.
“We can find a path to reconciliation if individuals like Talib’s allies, Serimang Kuyateh, Alagie Camara, Ebrima Ceesay, and Buba Bojang, stop campaigning against me,” he stated. “But there can be no peace as long as they keep fighting me.”
