Humanitarian Momodou Turo Darboe late last month announced his decision to enter mainstream politics, but the philanthropist is reportedly under intense pressure to rethink.
Mr. Darboe was last month in the heartlands of the ruling party in CRR and URR, where he was received with such fanfare and razzmatazz reserved for only presidents.
During his visits to the Gambia’s central river region and the country’s upper reaches,Mr. Darboe was adopted by 48 women’s Kafos in a sweeping endorsement of his decision to play a key role in Gambian politics.
Sources close to the philanthropist also hinted JollofNews that more women’s groups have invited Mr. Darboe to their communities as calls on him to vie for the top job grow. Darboe, who is the founder and CEO of Vision Development Foundation (VDF), however, said his decision to foray into party politics is to spur development through strategic political alignment. His speeches following his declaration of intent to play a prominent role in Gambian politics point to a man disappointed with the status quo. Darboe harps on the need and urgency for equitable and durable development in The Gambia. He calls for a political system that guarantees dignity to every citizen irrespective of wherever they are.
“Gambians should be united by a shared goal and vision for development, rather than allowing themselves to be used by politicians for their selfish ends,” he recently told a ground-swelling meeting in Fuladu in the Central River Region. The VDF founder also capitalised on his URR and CRR meetings to call on Gambians to turn their back to politicians, who divide citizens on tribal lines.
It has yet to be clear whether Mr. Momodou Turo Darboe will succumb to the mounting pressure to run for President come 2026 or align with the opposition but either way, he could cause an upset in the ruling party and give it a run for its money.
“If the enthusiasm that greeted Momodou Turo in the CRR and URR are any barometer to gauge his popularity among the locals, then the NPP is under a credible threat because these regions are their strongholds. There is no denying that the NPP will lose power if their bases there continue to offer Mr.Darboe the strong support and endorsement that they showed him during his visits,” commented one political commentator.
Meanwhile, JollofNews could not establish whether the “pressure” on Mr Darboe to rescind his decision comes from the ruling party or not, but sources said the philanthropist is under immense pressure not to assume a vanguard role in Gambia’s politics.
Mr. Darboe could not be reached for comments.
