Darboe says coalition necessary to remove Barrow

The United Democratic Party (UDP) leader Ousainu Darboe has declared that removing President Adama Barrow requires opposition unity, not infighting, and urged all parties committed to regime change to focus their fire on the presidency.

Speaking at a UDP meeting with the Lamin Lodge Riverside Association over the weekend, Darboe argued that the opposition’s collective push to oust Barrow stems from dissatisfaction with his governance and said a united front is necessary to install a government capable of tackling corruption and addressing The Gambia’s pressing challenges.

He made it clear that the UDP does not consider fellow opposition leaders as rivals.

“Mamma Kandeh is not our opponent. Essa Faal is not our opponent. Talib is not our opponent – our only opponent is Adama Barrow. Because what we want is to take Adama Barrow out of State House, and that is what Mamma Kandeh wants too. So we want the same thing,” he said.

Mr Darboe said the UDP’s scrutiny is aimed squarely at the government because it controls public resources and national policy.

“UDP’s only opponent is President Adama Barrow and no one else, because he is the one managing our taxes and the affairs of this country. We are observing how he is governing, and we will criticise when things go wrong.”

He warned UDP supporters against attacking other opposition figures, calling for discipline and maturity.

“Let us put our energy on President Adama Barrow. We have no issue with any other political leader. If others choose to attack us, that is their decision, but we will conduct our politics with maturity and a sense of purpose,” he remarked.

Darboe argued that collective dissatisfaction with Barrow’s governance makes a united front necessary. “If he were doing the right things, we would all have joined him, but since he is not, we all want him out. We must take our country back, fight corruption, and bring in a government that will truly serve the people.”