By Yankuba Jallow
The long-running Coalition 2026 negotiations have come under fresh scrutiny after former Chairman of the Coalition Mediation Committee (CMC), Professor Yerro Mballow, alleged that some political stakeholders involved in the talks were financially supported by Kanifing Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda. Mballow made these comments in an interview on Kerr Fatou media platform on Facebook.
Mballow, who resigned from the mediation committee before the coalition’s flagbearer selection, said he had initially received information suggesting that some stakeholders were being “bought”, but later came to believe that the information was accurate.
“People gave me information that some of the stakeholders in the coalition talks were bought and I later came to believe that certainly those informations were right,” Mballow said.
He said the coalition talks operated around weekly meetings, with one of the participating parties or movements taking responsibility for hosting the meeting each Saturday.
“Some of the movements confirmed to us that it was Talib [Bensouda] who paid for their hosting because some of them hosted some of the meetings,” Mballow said.
“Every Saturday, one of the parties or movements will host us and it is for the movement or party hosting to tell the stakeholders where they will be hosted to hold the talks,” he added.
Mballow further alleged that some of the movements told the mediation committee that Bensouda had paid for their hosting arrangements in return for support on the day the coalition would choose its flag bearer.
“Some of the movements told us that it was Talib who paid for them in exchange for the D-Day,” he said.
The allegations come as questions continue to surround the coalition process, which began with a much larger group of political stakeholders but eventually produced Bensouda as its flag bearer after a number of parties and movements withdrew.
The former chairman’s comments also come against the background of disagreements over whether the coalition should be led by a political party or an individual candidate, and over the question of who should emerge as its presidential candidate.
Assan Martin, spokesperson of the CMC, said the mediation committee’s role was not to impose decisions on political parties but to help them reach agreement.
He said some parties and movements had expressed opposition to the idea of United Democratic Party (UDP) leader Ousainou Darboe leading the coalition.
“The issue of UDP was about discussion. Some people said they don’t want Ousainou Darboe to lead the coalition. Other parties and movements in the room don’t want Ousainou Darboe to be flag bearer. It was all about the flag bearer issue and also what type of coalition,” Martin said.
Martin specifically mentioned the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC), UNITE Movement (UMC) now called UNITE Party after registration and APP-Sobeya as political entities that were not prepared to accept Darboe as the coalition’s standard bearer.
“Do you think UMC, GDC and other parties will accept that the UDP should lead? Have you heard of that position?” Martin asked.
According to Martin, the CMC held bilateral discussions with individual political parties and their representatives in an attempt to understand their positions and bridge their differences.
He said those bilateral discussions were separate from the fixed weekly Saturday meetings.
“When the CMC is doing bilateral, they call either the party leader or party reps,” Martin said.
He added that the bilateral discussions were intended to address differences between the political actors.
Martin said the question of the UDP’s position on the flag bearer remained one of the major issues during the negotiations.
“When we heard them, we realised that UDP does not want to compromise on the flag bearer, which is one [of the issues],” he said.
“That night, I called Mama Kandeh to resolve this in order to allow the UDP to lead, and he always maintained his position,” Martin added.
Martin said he met GDC leader Mamma Kandeh twice during the process. He said he also called the GDC leader after meeting the UDP on the issue of flagbearer, which the UDP was not prepared to compromise.
“I called Kandeh pleading with him to allow UDP’s Darboe to lead,” Martin said.
He said he went further by sending Kandeh an audio message in which he continued to appeal to him to support Darboe’s leadership of the coalition.
“I even sent Kandeh an audio still pleading with him to allow Darboe to lead the coalition,” Martin said.
Martin stressed that the CMC could not make decisions on behalf of the political parties.
“Each of the parties have their positions and was not ready to compromise,” he said.
He added: “My role and that of the CMC was mediation.”
Speaking on West Coast Radio’s Coffee Time with Peter Gomez, Martin said the mediation process lasted almost 18 weeks and began with 21 political stakeholders.
He said the process was initiated by the Alliance for Democratic Development (ADD), which invited a number of political stakeholders into the negotiations.
“A lot of stakeholders, political stakeholders, were invited into the process,” Martin said.
He said the mediators understood from the beginning that the parties held different positions.
“Some of the mediators, or any mediator, is not a decision maker. We are just facilitating the talks, trying to help them smooth, to have a smooth process so that we can come to a final conclusion on issues,” he said.
Martin said the committee adopted consensus as its main approach.
“At any time we have an issue at hand, it has to come through a discussion called the consensus approach,” he said.
“This is the first and primary approach for any mediator. Engage the person, engage the parties or the stakeholders, let them come to some terms without entering into a voting system,” he added.
He said the central objective was to continue discussions until the stakeholders could agree on a flag bearer.
“This has been the central focus of this process, which is that engage, engage until we come to a level where we can have a flag bearer,” Martin said.
According to Martin, two issues remained particularly difficult throughout the negotiations: the type of coalition and who should lead it.
“Key to that, the issue of party-led, candidate-led, another issue, which is how do we get a flag bearer, whether we can have it through a consensus or we will end up with elections,” he said.
He said some political stakeholders eventually “jumped ship”, meaning they withdrew from the process.
But Martin argued that the withdrawal of some stakeholders should not automatically have brought the negotiations to an end.
“If we say that people withdrew so the whole process comes to an end, I don’t think it will be fair,” he said.
He said those who remained decided to continue until the process reached its conclusion.
Martin said the mediators had recognised from the beginning that the issue of leadership would be difficult.
“The difficulty relies on their positions. It’s about the positions,” he said.
Asked about the UDP’s argument that it was the country’s largest opposition party and should therefore lead the coalition, Martin said political strength alone could not determine the outcome of a coalition.
“You may have quantity in politics, but politics also goes, it is a challenge,” he said.
He added: “If your numbers were enough for you to win, you would not have been in that room.”
According to Martin, political parties entered the negotiations because they needed to work together to secure enough support to win the presidential election.
“You have something that you have to come and negotiate to get others on board,” he said.
“You have to get somebody to attract the votes to give you enough votes to win,” he added.
Martin said the CMC tried to keep the process alive by focusing on issues beyond individual personalities.
“For some of us, we want them to harmonise their ideas, their ideology, to have a common manifesto,” he said.
He said the parties had worked on a coalition framework and a proposed governance structure.
“We have put a lot in terms of working a coalition framework, what is their views, having a good government,” Martin said.
He added that the parties had areas of common ground despite their disagreements over leadership.
“We know that a lot of them, they have common agenda or common purpose when it comes to a good governance system,” he said.
Martin said the CMC’s work did not end with the selection of Bensouda as flag bearer. He said the coalition would seek to reach out to political actors who left the negotiations.
“We have to go back, regroup, look at the way forward, bring, try to bring most of these people,” he said.
He said the terms for returning parties could be reviewed.
“We will have to review what would be maybe the new terms or are they coming back with the old terms and we will review,” Martin said.
“We are very pragmatic when it comes to these issues,” he added.
Martin said the coalition’s doors would remain open until the nomination process at the Independent Electoral Commission.
“The doors will be open until the day we do a nomination from the IEC,” he said.
He added: “Everything can be negotiated. It’s politics because our first approach, as I mentioned, is consensus. Consensus can only happen through discussion.”
Martin said the coalition could move into what he called a “regrouping stage”.
“There is a point where we could have a regrouping stage and we believe that the second phase of this would be the regrouping stage,” he said.
He also said the coalition would reach out to parties that had not participated in the negotiations.
“We will reach out to some of these parties that were not in the process and we will do that,” Martin said.
On the coalition’s proposed governance structure, Martin said authority would ultimately rest with the president if the coalition wins the election, but the flag bearer would be expected to consult the coalition governance council.
“Ultimately, ultimately, the power will reside in the hands of the flag bearer,” Martin said.
But he added: “For now, for us, as I say, we believe in the collective leadership. The project must be respected.”
“He has to also consult the coalition governance council,” he said.
Martin said the council would act as the custodian of the coalition’s political project.
“The coalition governance council, they’re going to have to be the custodian of the project,” he said.
He said this was intended to prevent a future president from simply abandoning agreements reached during the coalition negotiations.
“You can always elect somebody to be in government, and he can just put all the agreements redundant,” Martin said.
He added: “It is important to have some kind of a committee or a council to be there to remind the person that you already have agreements signed.”
Martin said the coalition had also discussed a mechanism for resolving disputes between the flag bearer and the coalition council.
“We’re going to have a panel if it comes to the wire, because he also has to respect what the coalition council is going to decide on,” he said.
He said the panel could consist of five members.
“It has to be an independent panel that will be set up,” Martin said.
He described the panel as an internal dispute-resolution mechanism.
“We can set up an ad hoc committee that can deal with the issues as they arise,” he said.
Martin said several political actors had left the negotiations for different reasons.
“Some left because of the way voting system,” he said.
He added that some of the reasons given for withdrawal were claims that the CMC could not substantiate.
“If you come with a reason, they have all their rights to leave. There’s no doubt about that,” Martin said.
The number of participating stakeholders, according to Martin, fell considerably during the process.
“You started off with 21,” host Peter Gomez said.
“Yes,” Martin responded.
Asked how many remained, Martin said: “We end up with about 11.”
He later confirmed that the number was at least 10. Martin acknowledged that the Gambia Democratic Congress was no longer part of the process and said the party was now aligned with President Adama Barrow.
“GDC now, they are with Barrow,” he said.
Despite the withdrawals, Martin said the CMC remained committed to its efforts.
“I’m always an optimistic guy and I am not a quitter,” he said.
He added: “The process was challenging.”
Martin also defended the coalition’s emphasis on governance reforms and institutional change.
“Gambians take it to be about a personality thing. For us, we take it to be a project,” he said.
He said the coalition’s proposed agreements included commitments relating to the cost of running government.
“We had it as an agreement. The fleet of vehicles, 50% has to go. The travel cost,” Martin said.
He said Bensouda’s proposed reduction in presidential remuneration was part of the coalition agreement.
“This time around, you only don’t have to sign it. You have to make sure you have that, it’s going to be a kind of an agreement that you may even have to sign and swear on it,” Martin said.
He acknowledged, however, that constitutional powers could affect the implementation of some political commitments.
“We know that it is always the prerogative of the president to do whatever they wish, even if they are in power,” Martin said.
But he said the coalition expected its candidate to respect the agreements made with the public.
“We are trying to entrust you with something and we don’t expect you to betray the trust of the public trust,” he said.
“If you do that, it will be at your detriment,” Martin added.
He said the coalition was seeking a leader who would respect institutions.
“We want somebody who will come with integrity and honesty to make sure you fix our institution,” he said.
Martin said the mediators would continue to monitor the project.
“Some of us, we are ready to show that we are supervising this project to its logical conclusions,” he said.
“We will never stay away looking at somebody to just betray the public trust,” he added.
While the coalition negotiations have produced Bensouda as flag bearer, the process has also attracted strong criticism from Information Minister Dr Ismaila Ceesay.
Speaking on Coffee Time, Ceesay described the current Coalition 2026 arrangement as a “monolusion”, arguing that only one political party remained.
“There’s no coalition,” Ceesay said.
“A coalition is composed of a plethora of political parties coming together. They have 10. What are those? Name me 10,” he said.
Ceesay said the remaining structure was effectively a single-party arrangement.
“It’s a monolusion. That’s the only political party,” he said.
He described the coalition-building process as “the most comical I have seen in the history of this country, insofar as coalition building is concerned.”
Ceesay alleged that political parties had left because they believed the process was predetermined.
“Parties ejecting themselves as they go once they realise the process was predetermined and it was rigged. They all left,” he said.
He also questioned the credibility of a coalition whose original participants had largely withdrawn.
“Now that the Coalition 2026 is now dead,” Ceesay said.
“Dead and buried. I announced its obituaries two weeks ago,” he added.
Ceesay said even some people associated with the mediation process had withdrawn.
“Even the chairperson of the Coalition 2026, Professor Mbalo, and Aja Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajang, they all walked out,” he said.
“How can you be the chairperson of the coalition? Supposed to oversee and then make sure that everything is on call. You, even the chairperson, left the coalition. What is left there then?” Ceesay asked.
He said only the UNITE Movement remained.
“One person, one party, anointing themselves as the so-called Coalition 2026,” he said.
Ceesay also criticised the wider opposition coalition-building process.
“I have never seen a more confusing, comical coalition building process anywhere in the world than we have witnessed,” he said.
He said the different political groups lacked a common political foundation.
“These guys, I told you from the onset, there is no common principle, no common ideology, no common values, no common program, nothing,” Ceesay said.
According to the minister, the main objective of the opposition groups was to replace the current government.
“The only thing they have in common is that there is a driver on the driver’s seat who is driving this car to destination Gambia,” he said.
“All they want is for us to remove the driver, so they can become the driver,” he added.
Ceesay said political office should be viewed as a responsibility rather than an opportunity for personal benefit.
“Political power is service to the people, sacrifice,” he said.
“The more I get closer to power, the more I understand the complexities and the challenges related to power,” Ceesay added.
On Bensouda’s claim that Unite would become the country’s biggest party, Ceesay said: “Dream is free. It doesn’t cost anything to dream.”
“Let Unite dream,” he added.
Ceesay said the government believed President Adama Barrow’s development projects would influence voters.
“If only people vote because of delivery, what the President has delivered, if that is what informs people’s decision how they vote, the President would not get anything less than 75% of the votes in this election,” he said.
“Minimum 75%,” Ceesay repeated.
He pointed to roads, health facilities, electricity, agriculture and other infrastructure projects being implemented around the country.
“What I’ve seen in terms of the development the President is doing up country, from roads infrastructure to health infrastructure, to giving out of ambulances to education infrastructure, to agricultural support for farmers,” he said.
Ceesay said the government was responding to what rural communities had asked for.
“The people in the Gambia today want clean water, the communities. The farmers want support. They want cheap fertilizer. They want seeds. They want equipment,” he said.
“People want schools for their children,” he added.
He also defended the government’s nationwide development tour against criticism that it was primarily focused on roads.
“The president has a vision to take development to the rural areas, to decongest urban Gambia, and ensure that those in rural Gambia also benefit from the national cake,” Ceesay said.
He said the government had been collecting information from communities during the tour.
“The president gives platform and listens to the people,” he said.
“All the people are asking for in this area is what the president is giving them. We want clean water. We want roads. We want schools. We want hospitals. We want support for farmers,” Ceesay added.
Ceesay said the government had also expanded its investment in agriculture.
“We are investing so much in irrigation infrastructure, but at the same time also shift away from subsistence farming to large scale commercial farming,” he said.
He said the government was seeking to make farming a year-round activity.
“One is to remove seasonal farming, to make it year round farm,” Ceesay said.
Ceesay also outlined a number of projects visited by President Barrow during the ongoing development tour.
He said road projects had been launched or inaugurated in several communities, including Barra, Fas Njaga Choi, Bacalar, Jurunku, Kilsan Bacalar, Kilo Marasen, Kuntaya, Jajakunda, Bani Sanikene, Ndugi Kebe, Daru Rilwan, Tangkonja, Karantaba, Reneru, Tabanani and Demfay Njaga.
He said approximately 260 kilometres of roads were being implemented under the Connect Gambia Infrastructure Project.
Ceesay also mentioned a 26-kilometre Karantaba-Reneru-Tabanani-Demfay-Njaga-Fitufola road and a 12-kilometre Njalu road.
He said the government had also handed over ambulances as part of efforts to improve rural healthcare.
“Our policy is that every community at every cluster of 10 to 12 villages should have one ambulance,” Ceesay said.
He said the President also visited the Giraffe Agro Logistics Centre in Makaphera, describing the facility as a major agricultural investment.
“This facility is to improve agricultural production in the Gambia. It will provide storage processing, market access, it will have the entire value chain,” Ceesay said.
He said the project was about 85% complete.
Ceesay also said an agreement had been signed with two microfinance institutions to facilitate 156 million dollars in matching grants to 214 beneficiaries.
He said the funds would support businesses involved in rice, maize, poultry, cashew and horticulture.
“The aim is increasing food production in this country as part of our food security drive,” he said.
Ceesay also said the government was working to strengthen education and healthcare infrastructure outside the Greater Banjul Area.
He announced that a regional laboratory was under construction in Mansakonko in the Lower River Region.
“The facility will provide students with opportunities for practical learning in chemistry, physics, agricultural science, and biology,” he said.
The minister also highlighted an engagement between the government and the European Union covering agriculture, education, tourism, migration, governance, elections and economic development.
He said the EU had reaffirmed support for food security, youth empowerment, migration management and electoral processes.
Ceesay also disclosed that the Ministry of Lands had warned beneficiaries of plots in the Brusubi Mini Institutional Layout against unauthorised sales or transfers.
“The ministry stated that allocated plots cannot be transferred without prior written approval from the minister,” he said.
He said unauthorised transactions could result in the revocation of allocations.
Ceesay also spoke about a recent engagement involving the Children’s National Assembly, saying 150 children had been brought together to engage with nine ministers.
He said the children asked questions about government policies and programmes covering areas including digital economy, environment, education, youth and sports, trade, public service and gender.
The political debate surrounding Coalition 2026 is therefore continuing alongside President Barrow’s nationwide ‘development tour’, with political actors presenting sharply different accounts of the coalition process, its leadership structure, its remaining membership and the direction of the opposition ahead of the December 2026 presidential election.
