The National Unity Party (NUP) has clarified its position amid public confusion over opposition coalitions ahead of elections, stating unequivocally that it remains committed to its Memorandum of Understanding with the UNITE Party and did not join the Team Gambia Grand Coalition as a party.
In a statement released by party spokesperson Saidina Abubacarr Jarjou, the NUP said it had been inundated with public inquiries seeking clarity on the UNITE–NUP Alliance and the Team Gambia arrangement. “For the avoidance of doubt, the general public is hereby informed that the National Unity Party signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the UNITE Party,” the statement read. That agreement, signed on behalf of the two independent political parties rather than individuals, remains “legally binding,” with both sides “firmly committed to the spirit of the Alliance.”
Jarjou emphasized that the MOU constitutes an institutional commitment made in good faith and for the good of the country. Unlike the Team Gambia process, the UNITE–NUP Alliance secured unanimous approval from the NUP’s National Executive Committee. By contrast, any commitment to the Team Gambia Grand Coalition was never unanimously approved a the NEC. According to the statement, that arrangement was a decision taken by Dr. Lamin J. Darbo and a few other party executives “in their personal capacities without NUP Executive Committee approval.” No existing resolution indicates that the party itself decided to join the Team Gambia process.
The statement also addressed a circulating video said to have come from a Team Gambia press conference, in which Dr. Darbo is alleged to have stated that “his party NUP will not be fielding a candidate, so, he has to advise himself as to which coalition to commit to and he chose Team Gambia.” While respecting Dr. Darbo’s personal decision to align with Team Gambia, the NUP said it was imperative to set the record straight.
Jarjou noted public suggestions that Dr. Darbo had resigned from the party. However, “at the time of releasing this statement, the NUP Executive Committee is yet to receive any formal resignation from Dr. Lamin J. Darbo, well, not to my knowledge.” As long as he has neither resigned nor been removed in accordance with the Party Constitution, “he legally remains the Party Leader.”
The spokesperson reaffirmed that the NUP remains a registered, active, and principled political party committed to its alliance with the UNITE Party.
