Dr. Lamin J. Darbo, Party Leader, Secretary General, and presidential candidate of the National Unity Party (NUP), officially opened his 2026 campaign yesterday with a blistering speech that placed the rule of law at the very heart of The Gambia’s future.
Speaking before a packed audience of party executives, members, journalists, and supporters, Dr. Darbo declared that “adherence to the rule of law is the foundation upon which nations survive or collapse,” warning that any country that builds on quicksand instead of solid legal ground must ultimately collapse under the slightest test.”
Using the emotionally charged 2005 Terri Schiavo case in the United States as his central illustration, Darbo praised the American judicial system for resisting intense political pressure from both Florida Governor Jeb Bush and President George W. Bush. Despite emergency legislation passed at the state and federal levels to keep Schiavo alive, courts at every level upheld the original ruling, ultimately allowing her feeding tube to be removed.
“This heart-wrenching case,” Darbo told the crowd, “shows the inherent magic of the rule of law: even a single judge can defeat the combined might of governors, presidents, and legislatures when the constitution is clear.” He urged Gambians to set aside religious feelings about the case and focus instead on the principle that “no person is above the law” and that legislative, executive, and judicial powers must remain separate.
The NUP leader argued that the dramatic development gap between Western democracies and most African nations stems directly from differences in respect for human dignity and legal predictability. Gambians, he said, migrate to Europe and America not primarily for money but for the certainty that “except for the vagaries of random criminal activity, there is no issue of being victims of state-orchestrated disappearances, killings, unlawful detentions, and frozen economic opportunities” simply for speaking freely.
Turning to domestic politics, Darbo issued a sharp warning about the 2026 presidential election: voters must choose “a builder, not a person who views No. 1 Marina Parade as a place for sumptuous meals in the shade of the cool breezes of the blue Atlantic waters.” State House, he stressed, is a temporary trust for public service, not personal enrichment.
He promised an NUP government would prioritise transparency, accountability, and the fight against corruption, declaring: “We must remain open for business but alert to the dangers of corruption and paper-based criminality.” Without the oxygen of the rule of law, he concluded, “no meaningful and durable security is possible,” and The Gambia will continue to be left behind in global economic progress.
Closing with a direct appeal, Dr. Darbo urged every citizen to join the National Unity Party in what he called “the emancipation of The Gambia from stagnancy.”
Political analysts described the speech as one of the most substantive campaign launches in recent Gambian history, noting that Darbo deliberately avoided populist rhetoric in favour of a detailed constitutional argument rarely heard on the campaign trail.
As the 2026 race formally begins, the NUP has firmly staked its colours on the mast of institutional reform and the supremacy of law.
