Africa-Press – Gambia. Alagie S. Darboe, Senior Administrative Secretary of the United Democratic Party (UDP) and Minority Leader at the National Assembly, has said that reconciliation efforts are underway with Kanifing Municipal Council Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda following his resignation as the party’s National Organizing Secretary.
Speaking in an interview with West Coast Radio, Darboe said the UDP remains committed to unity and continues to pursue dialogue with both current and former members.
“We are doing everything possible to ensure that our members remain together. It is our hope that Talib will listen and continue to be part of the party,” he said.
He noted that, despite recent defections, the UDP remains committed to restoring normalcy within the party. “We want every UDP member to remain, whether they have gone or they are not gone, but for them to come back,” he said.
Darboe emphasized the party’s enduring influence among its supporters, stating, “Once UDP blood runs in you, wherever you go is UDP, and wherever you are is UDP, even those in the NPP; they are still called the UDP, so with that, we are anticipating, and seriously, that he will think otherwise.”
He explained that the negotiations to persuade Mayor Bensouda to remain in the UDP are not based on specific promises but rather on ongoing efforts to convince him to stay with the party.
Addressing speculation of mistrust between UDP leader Ousainou Darboe and Talib Bensouda, he clarified that Bensouda’s resignation as organizing secretary was driven by procedural reasons, not personal conflict.
“I think the recent advance regarding his resignation as the organizing secretary is on the basis that he was an applicant to the position. And if it happened that he was not selected, it may not be advisable for him to continue to be the chairperson of the campaign team,” he explained.
He further noted, “If you were opposing somebody and for you to take the lead to organize events for him, you may not be able to do it; you may not be in a position to do so. So in order to save yourself and the party from that, for you to relinquish, I’m not seeing that there is a kind of mistrust between the two.”
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