{"id":82380,"date":"2025-07-19T06:38:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-19T06:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/pa-njie-names-ousainou-darboe-as-udps-unifying-candidate"},"modified":"2025-07-19T07:02:52","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T07:02:52","slug":"pa-njie-names-ousainou-darboe-as-udps-unifying-candidate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/pa-njie-names-ousainou-darboe-as-udps-unifying-candidate","title":{"rendered":"Pa Njie Names Ousainou Darboe as Udp’S Unifying Candidate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>Businessman and politician Pa Njie Girigara has stated that Ousainou Darboe, leader and Secretary General of the United Democratic Party (UDP), is the party\u2019s ideal presidential candidate for the 2026 elections. Speaking in a recent interview with West Coast Radio, Njie described Darboe as a \u201cnatural unifier\u201d among the various \u201cfactions\u201d within the party.<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cDarboe is a natural unifier for 2026, and from the feedback I\u2019m receiving, I believe there is growing agreement on that,\u201d Njie said.<\/p>\n

Njie pointed out that although it\u2019s clear President Adama Barrow\u2014whom he supports and is rallying behind\u2014will lead the National People\u2019s Party (NPP) into the next election, the UDP has not yet announced its flag bearer. He warned that internal party rivalry could undermine the UDP\u2019s electoral prospects.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re heading into elections, and the question remains: who will be the candidates? The NPP and UDP are the two dominant parties, and while it\u2019s clear that Barrow will represent the NPP, the UDP\u2019s candidate is still uncertain,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

Njie warned that divisions within the UDP could weaken the party\u2019s performance if not carefully managed. \u201cIf the UDP wants to maximize its votes in 2026, it should endorse Darboe. That would be the most logical step. If multiple factions within the party push for different candidates, it will lead to internal fractures\u2014each camp will be reluctant to support the other,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Beyond the UDP, Njie also shared broader observations about The Gambia\u2019s political environment, identifying only two politicians, in his view, who possess the charisma necessary to mobilize widespread popular support: President Adama Barrow and GDC leader Mama Kandeh.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this country, only two politicians can truly galvanize the masses\u2014Adama Barrow and Mama Kandeh. Politics is not about aggression or being stiff; it\u2019s about engagement,\u201d Njie said.<\/p>\n

He contrasted this with other political figures, including Darboe, whom he characterized as less relatable in public engagements.<\/p>\n

\u201cPolitics requires charm and the ability to connect. When you attend a meeting with Mama Kandeh, he makes you laugh. Darboe, on the other hand, tends to be quick-tempered; Halifa Sallah is too rigid, and even Essa Faal lacks that element of approachability,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n

Asked about his own political ambitions, Njie confirmed he has stepped away from electoral politics following his unsuccessful run in the 2018 Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) mayoral race.<\/p>\n

On economic matters, Njie expressed concern over the rising cost of living and advocated for government regulation of essential commodity prices. He criticized the current economic approach for lacking sufficient control mechanisms to protect consumers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to introduce price regulation. I\u2019ve discussed this with President Barrow, and I still hold that view. Without regulation, prices will continue to rise unchecked, while incomes\u2014such as salaries\u2014remain stagnant. That gap will only widen unless addressed,\u201d he argued.<\/p>\n

Njie pointed to several Francophone countries as models where essential goods are subject to regulated pricing and urged the Gambian government to consider similar interventions to ease economic pressures on ordinary citizens.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. Businessman and politician Pa Njie Girigara has stated that Ousainou Darboe, leader and Secretary General of the United Democratic Party (UDP), is the party\u2019s ideal presidential candidate for the 2026 elections. Speaking in a recent interview with West Coast Radio, Njie described Darboe as a \u201cnatural unifier\u201d among the various \u201cfactions\u201d within […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":82379,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,10],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-82380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-parties","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nPa Njie Names Ousainou Darboe as Udp'S Unifying Candidate - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Businessman and politician Pa Njie Girigara has stated that Ousainou Darboe, leader and Secretary General of the Unit ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/pa-njie-names-ousainou-darboe-as-udps-unifying-candidate\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pa Njie Names Ousainou Darboe as Udp'S Unifying Candidate\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Businessman and politician Pa Njie Girigara has stated that Ousainou Darboe, leader and Secretary General of the Unit ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/pa-njie-names-ousainou-darboe-as-udps-unifying-candidate\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-19T06:38:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-19T07:02:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/07\/sm_1752895884.425927.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/pa-njie-names-ousainou-darboe-as-udps-unifying-candidate#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/pa-njie-names-ousainou-darboe-as-udps-unifying-candidate\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Pa Njie Names Ousainou Darboe as Udp’S Unifying Candidate\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-19T06:38:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-19T07:02:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/pa-njie-names-ousainou-darboe-as-udps-unifying-candidate\"},\"wordCount\":527,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/pa-njie-names-ousainou-darboe-as-udps-unifying-candidate#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/07\/sm_1752895884.425927.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"parties\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/pa-njie-names-ousainou-darboe-as-udps-unifying-candidate#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/pa-njie-names-ousainou-darboe-as-udps-unifying-candidate\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/pa-njie-names-ousainou-darboe-as-udps-unifying-candidate\",\"name\":\"Pa Njie Names Ousainou Darboe as Udp'S Unifying Candidate - 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