Momodou Sabally, the campaign manager for the United Democratic Party (UDP), has stated that party leader Lawyer Ousainu Darboe would be the party’s standard-bearer in the 2026 presidential elections.
During the formal opening of the Road to 2026 Family Group on Sunday, Sabally answered the million-dollar issue of who would head the party in the next election.

Sabally, an economy expert and UDP Campaign Manager, emphasized that the party remains the same, with the same color, the same desire, and the same leadership, ahead of the 2026 election.
“There is only one leader and that is the people’s president His Excellency the Honourable Lawyer Ousainnu Numukunda Darboe,” Sabally said in a statement.

“It is the agenda that is sold but a leader is selected by the people,” he went on to say.

“Who is the flagbearer, the leader?” he continued. Sabally said to a delighted gathering, “His Excellency the Honourable Ousainu Numukunda Darboe for 2026.”

As a result, he encouraged people to vote for Ousainu Darboe, describing him as the “next president of the Republic of the Gambia under the UDP ticket.”

It remains to be seen how certain party members would react to the news that Darboe is heading the party’s bid for power at No. 1 Marina Parade in Banjul.

As the UDP prepares for the next election cycle, doubts have been raised concerning the party’s leadership, namely who should be the standard bearer.

Some party supporters believe that the party’s Secretary General and leader, Lawyer Ousainu Darboe, should step down and act as an adviser to a younger standard bearer.

Others have even suggested Kanifing Municipality Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensounda as a prospective candidate for the 2026 national elections.

However, if Campaign Manager Sabally’s claims are correct, it is reasonable to assume that senior lawyer and party leader Darboe would lead the UDP in a bid to topple President Barrow via the ballot box in 2026.