By Buba Gagigo
As the discussion around the flag bearer intensifies within the United Democratic Party (UDP), Rohey Malick Lowe, the Mayor of Banjul City Council, has stated that Talib Bensouda does not possess the means to establish himself as a UDP candidate for 2026.
“Stop claiming that there are people who dislike Talib; in reality, no one hates him, and there’s no animosity within the UDP. If you can provide one reason why Rohey Malick Lowe doesn’t like Talib Bensouda, I can give you countless reasons why Talib might dislike me. Yankuba Darboe holds no grudge against Talib Bensouda,” Mayor Lowe said.
Mayor Lowe emphasized the importance of recognizing the contributions of senior members, particularly lawyer Ousainou Darboe, who has been a dedicated figure in the party since 1996. She argued that it is unfair to suggest he should simply step aside.
“The UDP has had a selection process since then; why should it be different now? Why should it be forced? Musa Jeng may be advocating for Talib, but there are likely others supporting Yankuba or different candidates as well. You cannot expect Ousainou to simply hand over his position to Talib; that’s unrealistic, and even Ousainou doesn’t have that authority. As for myself, Rohey Malick, I pride myself on my independence. Ousainou is a politician with the necessary consent and is aware of what works on the ground. We young politicians understand our responsibilities, but we cannot publicly criticize our leader,” she told the FPBP show.
She continued: “The truth is clear: we are not crazy; we see everything that has been said and done. We’ve seen all the meetings, and the current actions won’t benefit Talib because Talib lacks the means to impose himself on the United Democratic Party. He simply cannot do it. To say I or Yankuba hate Talib is misguided; he is just like any of us. If you believe Talib is the winning candidate, I would like to know the criteria you used to reach that conclusion.”