{"id":82905,"date":"2025-07-28T19:15:30","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T19:15:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/daboe-and-sallah-urged-to-be-pillars-of-change-ahead-of-2026-election"},"modified":"2025-07-28T20:04:52","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T20:04:52","slug":"daboe-and-sallah-urged-to-be-pillars-of-change-ahead-of-2026-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/daboe-and-sallah-urged-to-be-pillars-of-change-ahead-of-2026-election","title":{"rendered":"Daboe and Sallah Urged to be Pillars of Change Ahead of 2026 Election"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Gambia. <\/strong><\/span><b>Lawyer Assan Martin, a political activist has called on prominent political figures; Ousainou Darboe and Halifa Sallah to become guiding pillars for change ahead of the 2026 elections.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Mr. Martin, who is also human rights advocate made the call on Wednesday during an interview with The Voice Newspaper.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking candidly about the current political climate, Martin stresses that Gambians are yearning for new leadership and a fresh direction. He respectfully urged the older political guards to \u201crest their leadership ambitions\u201d in the upcoming election to make way for a new generation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to first salute both public figures for their outstanding and tremendous efforts in government and politics. They have made immense contributions towards building a better Gambia. We hold the highest respect for their personal sacrifices and patriotic stands,\u201d Martin remarked.<\/p>\n<p>However, he continues: \u201cboth as respected senior citizens must realize that the political tide is shifting. It is time to move away from the politics of the 19th century.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin emphasizes that the nation faces complex challenges requiring new generational approaches. \u201cOur first task is to build a credible coalition capable of unseating the incumbent government to fix the nation, without doubt,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He cautioned against repeating the \u201cprotest vote syndrome\u201d witnessed in previous elections and warned against an \u201cobsession with leadership\u201d within the opposition camp. \u201cWe appeal to the older guards to pause their ambitions and carefully assess their roles in today\u2019s political dynamics.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, Martin rejected what he called President Barrow\u2019s \u201crematch of 2021\u201d narrative. \u201cPolitics should not be driven by emotions but by good judgment and common sense. Only then can we achieve meaningful change and reform.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He criticized the Barrow administration\u2019s governance over the past eight years, citing political polarization, incompetence, corruption scandals, and failed reforms. \u201cChange is necessary to save our nation. President Barrow is arguably the worst leader of our generation who has failed to deliver meaningful reforms.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To conclude, Martin called on Gambians to avoid the pitfalls of politics and cronyism that obscure national progress. \u201cWe must honestly assess ourselves in the current political context to realize the new Gambia we all campaign for.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Gambia<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Gambia. Lawyer Assan Martin, a political activist has called on prominent political figures; Ousainou Darboe and Halifa Sallah to become guiding pillars for change ahead of the 2026 elections. Mr. Martin, who is also human rights advocate made the call on Wednesday during an interview with The Voice Newspaper. Speaking candidly about the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":82904,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,10],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-82905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-parties","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Daboe and Sallah Urged to be Pillars of Change Ahead of 2026 Election - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lawyer Assan Martin, a political activist has called on prominent political figures; Ousainou Darboe and Halifa Salla ...\" \/>\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\/daboe-and-sallah-urged-to-be-pillars-of-change-ahead-of-2026-election\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Daboe and Sallah Urged to be Pillars of Change Ahead of 2026 Election\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lawyer Assan Martin, a political activist has called on prominent political figures; 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