United Democratic Party (UDP) leader Ousainu Darboe has accused APP-Sobeyaa leader Essa Mbye Faal of political inconsistency, while rejecting his claim that the UDP previously held discussions with former president Yahya Jammeh’s Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC).
Speaking on West Coast Radio, Darboe was given an opportunity to respond to comments Faal had made during an earlier appearance on the same programme. Faal had explained that he once considered an alliance with the UDP but eventually ruled it out because, in his view, the two parties did not share the same political values.
Darboe agreed that their political outlooks differed but challenged Faal’s record of political decision-making, portraying himself as a politician who had remained consistent in his principles.
“I am not a flip-flop politician,” Darboe said, drawing a contrast between his own political approach and Faal’s recent decision to align with President Adama Barrow’s re-election campaign.
The UDP leader also disputed Faal’s assertion that the UDP and APRC had previously sat down for political discussions. He described the claim as false and insisted that his party had never entered into negotiations with Jammeh’s political movement.
“But what he said in that interview, you know, lawyers like to use precedence to justify their positions, and their arguments, is that UDP and APRC have sat down to discuss, which is false,” Darboe said.
He recalled one instance in which Abdoulie Kujabi informed him that Jammeh, while president, had expressed an interest in working with him. Darboe argued that this did not amount to formal negotiations between the two parties.
The UDP leader also challenged Faal’s attempts to draw parallels between his decision to support Barrow and earlier political arrangements involving individuals such as Edi Njie, whom Faal identified as his uncle and who served as health minister under former president Dawda Jawara.
According to Darboe, Njie’s appointment followed an election in which the United Party (UP) and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) had contested separately. He maintained that such an arrangement was different from an alliance formed before an election to improve a candidate’s chances of winning.
Darboe made a similar argument regarding Abdoulie Wadda and Abdou Joof, saying their political arrangements came after elections and should not be compared with Faal’s decision to join forces with Barrow ahead of the December 5, 2026 presidential election.
For Darboe, the timing of the arrangements is central to the dispute. He argued that cooperation after an election is fundamentally different from backing an incumbent before voters go to the polls.
Faal’s alignment with Barrow has drawn attention because of his previous criticism of the president and his administration. His decision has become a point of political contention as parties and alliances position themselves for the December election.
Asked whether the UDP would consider future talks with the APRC, Darboe dismissed the prospect, arguing that the party no longer existed.
The exchange highlights the growing political differences between the two opposition figures, with their competing accounts of past engagements and present alliances becoming part of the wider debate over political consistency and coalition-building ahead of the election.
