By Arret Jatta
NPP Youth Mobiliser Momodou Sabally has claimed that President Adama Barrow has already secured a third term, saying the 2026 election will usher The Gambia into a de facto “one-party state”.
Sabally made the remarks while speaking at a meeting in Mankamang Kunda, where he defended the alliance between President Barrow and GDC leader Mamma Kandeh.
He said Kandeh’s decision to join forces with the NPP has caused jitters among opposition supporters, arguing that the alliance has changed the country’s political landscape.
“The day Mamma Kandeh joined NPP, that was the day hospitals received a lot of patients because of fear,” Sabally said, referring to opposition supporters.
He said the alliance between Barrow and Kandeh was a strong political force and urged supporters to celebrate the development.
“Barrow is Kandeh, and Kandeh is Barrow. That is the truth,” he said.
Sabally also dismissed opposition criticisms of the alliance, describing much of their political discourse as “empty talks”.
He said the coming together of the NPP and GDC was different from past coalition arrangements involving smaller parties.
“GDC is a big party; NPP is a big party. So it’s the case of a big party joining a big party… We are not talking about briefcase parties here,” he chided.
On President Barrow’s eligibility for another term, Sabally said he would not engage in arguments with those who believe the president will not seek a third term.
“We have already secured the third term. If they want, we can debate on the fourth term,” he said.
Sabally also pointed to a photograph of Barrow and Kandeh taken during a football match in Basse, saying it showed that Barrow would remain president after the 2026 election.
He ended with a bold prediction, saying: “After the 2026 election, The Gambia is going to be a [de facto] one-party state.”