By: Aja Beyai
The UNITE Party has accused the Gambian government of deliberately distorting the findings of the Local Government Commission of Inquiry in its White Paper to confuse the public and potentially disqualify party candidate Talib Ahmed Bensouda from contesting the December elections.
Speaking at a press conference in Banjul, UNITE Legal Secretary Aziz Bensouda alleged that the commission’s report was altered after it was submitted to the President in May. He said the party had examined the document’s metadata, which he claimed showed changes made after the official handover.
Bensouda argued that the inquiry report contains no findings of corruption, misconduct, negligence, or improper behavior against Talib Ahmed Bensouda that would meet the disqualification threshold under Section 62(3)(c) of the 1997 Constitution. While the commission made observations about Bensouda’s exercise of authority and oversight during his tenure at the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC), the party maintains these do not amount to the serious misconduct required for electoral disqualification.
“The White Paper seriously mischaracterizes the commission report,” Aziz Bensouda said. He accused the government of attempting to “mislead the public, confuse the public” and of seeking to influence the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) ahead of the nomination process.
The legal secretary further disclosed that UNITE has written to President Adama Barrow, with a copy sent to the IEC, demanding official clarification on the status of the report and its implications for Bensouda’s candidacy. The letter was sent in anticipation of Talib Ahmed Bensouda’s scheduled nomination on 7 November.
“Our candidate is qualified,” Aziz Bensouda insisted. “UNITE will not accept any interpretation otherwise. The matter is not ambiguous. The matter is clear and simple.”
The party’s intervention comes as political parties finalize preparations for the December polls. Talib Ahmed Bensouda, a mayor of Kanifing and a prominent opposition figure, is Coalition 2026 flagbearer.
The government’s White Paper on the Local Government Commission of Inquiry has become a flashpoint, with opposition parties questioning both its content and the process surrounding its release.
Aziz Bensouda did not specify the exact nature of the alleged alterations to the report beyond the metadata evidence. Still, he said the party would pursue all available legal and political avenues to protect its candidate’s right to stand.
Meanwhile, the press conference took a more defiant turn when Coalition 2026 Spokesperson and Lawyer Assan Martin declared that any attempt to prevent Talib Bensouda from contesting would be met with mass resistance.
“The masses must be called to take to the streets if there is any attempt to prevent Talib from contesting. If Bensouda doesn’t stand to contest, President Adama Barrow will not also contest the election,” Martin warned.
He called on Gambians to firmly resist injustice, saying injustice must not be allowed to consume the country’s democratic state.
UNITE also raised concerns over what it described as a deliberate collision of events after the President’s road inauguration in Abuko was scheduled for November 7th, the same day the party has booked the Buffer Zone for its nomination and mega rally.
The government has yet to respond publicly to the specific allegations made at the press conference.
