Gambia: NPP to invite UDP Leader Darboe to Congress

President Adama Barrow’s main challenger in the December presidential polls will be invited to the launching of his arch-rivals political party this weekend, officials at the President’s party’s office said.

Ousainou Darboe, the former vice president and opposition United Democratic Party’s presidential candidate might be attending the christening of Barrow’s National Peoples Party, where Barrow is expected to be handpicked to seek a second term.

“We are going to invite Ousainou Darboe,” said Saihou Mballow, a political advisor to President Barrow.

“We hope he comes because this party is a split of the UDP, and that split party has now grown into a major political party. So, we expect Ousainou Darboe to come and see the work of his brothers, his son, and his ex-executive members. This happens all over the world.”

President Adama Barrow was part of the UDP executive and has been the so-called political son of Mr. Darboe until they had bitter fallout. Supporters of Mr. Barrow said he was being undermined by Darboe, who had refused to give Barrow a chance to lead the UDP.

Saihou Mballow was a staunch supporter of the UDP where he served as the party’s youth wing Secretary-General. He had been in exile until 2017 when Barrow came to power. He left the UDP for GDC before joining Mr. Barrow.

This weekend’s launching of the President’s party will serve as a test of his popularity amid heavy crowd contest between political parties. The NPP has won two by-elections, upsetting opposition campaigners who formed rare alliances in dashed hopes to deny NPP any wins at the polls.

It is not clear if Mr. Darboe will attend the NPP’s launch. It is a tradition for other political party leaders to attend congresses of other parties. This year, this has not been the norm, especially with Barrow and Darboe deeply divided along the polarized political lines.