The United Democratic Party (UDP) flag bearer controversy is igniting internal strife and igniting contentious discussions among party members on social media.
The most recent controversy stems from an interview in which Banjul Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe asserted that the UDP is currently divided into two opposing factions: one supporting Ousainu Darboe, the party leader, and the other supporting Talib Ahmed Bensouda, the mayor of the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC).
In addition, Mayor Lowe charged that the UDP leadership had not shielded her from years of constant personal assaults and internal demonisation by other party members. She specifically named one of the main players behind the smear campaigns against her as Mark Janneh, a UDP member and vocal supporter of Mayor Bensouda. Lowe claimed that the party’s leadership remained silent despite the protracted nature of these attacks.
Ousman Ceesay, a member of the UDP, publicly disputed Lowe’s claims in response.
He wrote, “As a card-carrying member of the UDP, I do not stand aside from anyone on issues pertaining to our party.” “Rohey Malick Lowe’s actions on EyeAfrica Television were calculating and cynical, but they are a necessary component of the vigorous internal political discussions that our party needs to engage in. These conversations are vital, healthy, and will eventually assist us in realigning and refocusing on the things that are most important, so we cannot afford to avoid them.
Although she has the right to freedom of association, Ceesay further chastised Mayor Lowe for “jumping from one Facebook comment section to another, threatening to leave the party,” arguing that the party shouldn’t be “held hostage to Rohey’s tantrums and sense of entitlement.”
She has been lavished with attention, and her polarising actions have been accepted for far too long. “Let the games start,” he said in closing.
Political analyst Nanama Keita also offered her opinion, contending that open discussion is necessary to address tribal politics, which are not exclusive to The Gambia.
In her article, Keita cited former US President Donald Trump’s offer of expedited refugee status to white South African farmers as evidence that “tribal politics is a natural human instinct, visible even in the world’s most advanced democracies.”
Keita cautioned that an ethnically exclusive approach would be politically untenable because Mandinkas make up only 34.4% of the Gambia’s population, with at least 10% of them supporting President Barrow’s National People’s Party (NPP).
“What I refer to as the ‘Talib dilemma’ confronts UDP.” Any attempt to use Yankuba Darboe instead of Talib Bensouda would probably be viewed as a Mandinka power move and encounter strong opposition at the polls. Yanks is still a rookie leader, despite his encouraging work at the Brikama Area Council, while Talib has already demonstrated his political strength.
Keita maintained that presenting Bensouda as the presidential candidate, forming a coalition with a respectable party such as the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC), and pledging to adhere to strict term limits would be the UDP’s best course to victory in 2026.
“Yanks will be ready to take over by the time a two-term President Talib resigns, enabling the UDP to create a long-term leadership cycle that adapts to the times and represents the diversity of the Gambian people,” Keita proposed.
The UDP’s West Coast Region Chairperson, Yankuba Darboe, retorted sharply:
“They want to use their irrational Mandinkaphobia to overthrow our party leader overnight! It isn’t taking place! It’s called democracy, so if you despise the UDP’s Mandinka leadership, start your own party and elect a non-Mandinka leader to lead it.
The UDP Student Wing President, Ismaila Fadera, also took issue with Keita’s remarks.
“It’s getting harder to determine what Nanama Keita is adding to the conversation beyond creating unnecessary distraction,” Fadera wrote. “The noise outweighs the substance when constructive input is required. Since political relevance is earned through contributions rather than controversy, now would be the ideal time to demonstrate any genuine agenda or value to add.
Despite the debate’s continued dominance on UDP supporters’ social media, Talib Bensouda and Ousainu Darboe have not publicly addressed the issue.
