Kanifing Municipal Council Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda has confirmed his candidacy for the United Democratic Party’s (UDP) flag-bearer position, saying he is ready to challenge party leader Ousainou Darboe and unseat President Adama Barrow in the 2026 presidential elections.
Bensouda submitted his application days ago and spoke to journalists shortly Thursday afternoon after being interviewed by the UDP selection committee.
“Our father Lawyer Ousainou Darboe has built a good party and groomed children who are now big enough to tell him that, ‘Father, we can now fulfill your intentions,’” Bensouda said.
The mayor explained that he held off on filing his papers until the final days of the process, waiting to know whether Darboe himself would apply. “I had made inquiries before applying and was informed that Lawyer Ousainou Darboe was yet to file in his application. That’s why I waited until the last minute and applied,” he said.
He later learned that Darboe had also joined the contest but insisted he was not deterred. “Let’s go into the process and see what will happen,” Bensouda noted.
He maintained that his candidacy was not aimed at undermining Darboe, whom he described as his political father, but rather a commitment to serve the country through the UDP. “All I want is to work for the country under Lawyer Ousainou Darboe’s party, which is the UDP,” he said.
Looking ahead to the presidential polls, Bensouda declared: “When given the chance, as UDP flag-bearer, I will topple President Adama Barrow in the 2026 presidential elections.”
The United Democratic Party, one of Gambia’s largest opposition parties, has received applications from 11 members seeking to lead the party into the next election.
