Africa-Press – Gambia. The All People’s Party–SOBEYA (APP-SOBEYA) will prioritize the selection of an “electable” candidate as a condition for entering any political coalition ahead of the 2026 presidential election, a party spokesperson said on Sunday.
Speaking during an appearance on For the People, By the People, Ousainou Bobb, the party’s national spokesperson, emphasized that electability, transparency, and accountability would be central to any coalition agreement the party considers.
“Essa is saying, I am willing to go into a coalition, provided that there is transparency, there is accountability and there is consistency,” Bobb said, referring to party leader Essa Mbye Faal. “And secondly, we are going to select a leader that is electable. And this was important, and this is key for him, we are going to select a leader that is electable.”
Bobb said APP-SOBEYA believes any coalition discussions must extend beyond simply unseating the incumbent, President Adama Barrow, and instead address broader questions of governance and power-sharing.
“Are we coming into a coalition just to remove the executive position of the President, which is Barrow, or are we looking at the coalition with all the components of governance, i.e., the executive power and the legislative power. Where will the coalition agreement start, and where will it end?”
“So all these things are key to us, and we believe for any coalition talks to happen, these are the things that should be in place,” he told For The People By The People on Sunday.
With less than two years until the 2026 election, Bobb said parties should already be engaging in dialogue and preparing for the road ahead.
“And again, we are 14, 15, or 16 months away from elections, and with all these arguments, the discussion should be ongoing as of now,” he said. We should be able to know who is leading all these political parties, who is their flag bearer.”
He also called for reflection on the lessons of the 2016 coalition, which saw opposition parties unite to defeat longtime ruler Yahya Jammeh but later fractured in government.
“And this discussion should be ongoing. And we have to learn from the 2016 coalition. What happened? Why did the coalition fail? We believe there was no transparency, transparency enough with the population of the Gambia to be able to hold them to accountability,” Bobb said.
For More News And Analysis About Gambia Follow Africa-Press
