The National People’s Party (NPP) Seattle Chapter raised more than $65,000 in a single night during its inaugural fundraising event for the 2026 presidential campaign, party Finance Director and Presidential Adviser Lamin Saidy announced.
The gathering, held under the banner “Uniting Our Diaspora, Strengthening Our Party, Building A Better Future for the Gambia,” marked a strong show of support from Gambians living in the United States as the ruling party prepares for the December 5 election.
Supporters contributed through donations and other means at the event, which organizers described as the first major NPP fundraising effort by the Seattle chapter and a significant milestone for the party’s growing diaspora network. NPP officials framed the night as both a fundraising success and a demonstration of continued backing for President Adama Barrow’s re-election campaign.
NPP National President Musa Drammeh delivered a keynote address, emphasizing the party’s record under Barrow’s leadership. He praised the president as “the Most Peaceful leader in the whole of Africa” and credited the NPP with guiding The Gambia from a difficult transitional period following autocratic rule into an era of entrenched democracy, respect for human rights, the rule of law, and expanded freedoms.
Drammeh highlighted the growth of political parties and media houses per capita as evidence of democratic progress.
He stressed that democracy alone was not sufficient, pointing to what he called the most transformational socio-economic and infrastructural development programs in the country’s history. These included roads and bridges, schools and hospitals, nationwide expansion of water and electricity, subsidized agricultural inputs, mechanization of farming, modern health centers, and rehabilitation of major hospitals.
“These and many other development achievements happened under a democratic dispensation championed by our great Party, the ruling National People’s Party,” Drammeh said. He also noted Barrow’s efforts to strengthen party institutions, including building regional bureaus across the country and the NPP Bureau Headquarters in Bundung.
Drammeh underscored the importance of sustainable party financing independent of public funds. He referenced previous fundraising efforts inside The Gambia and the party’s first major overseas event in Spain the previous year. “It is on the footsteps of these prior successes that we embarked on this mission here today in Seattle to not only raise funds but also connect with and consult our growing diaspora support base,” he said. On behalf of President Barrow, he thanked attendees for their time and contributions, assuring them that every dollar would be fully accounted for and invested in party activities.
The Diaspora Secretary and Nominated Lawmaker, Maimuna Ceesay Darboe, delivered a detailed address welcoming guests and framing the Seattle event as historic.
“Although many of you live thousands of miles away from The Gambia, your hearts remain connected to our families, our communities, our culture, and our homeland,” the Diaspora Secretary said.
She highlighted the diaspora’s contributions through investment, professional expertise, entrepreneurship, education, philanthropy, mentorship, and family support, while stressing that knowledge, skills, experience, ideas, and international networks were equally valuable.
She commended Seattle Chapter Chairman Sulayman Saul Krubally, the steering committee, members, volunteers, and supporters for organizing the party’s first U.S. fundraising event of its kind. “Establishing and sustaining a chapter requires commitment. It requires teamwork. It requires sacrifice,” the official noted, adding that the strong turnout reflected that dedication. The address called for stronger channels of dialogue, investment, knowledge exchange, and relationships built on transparency and mutual respect, while urging Gambians to prioritize shared identity over differences.
NPP Finance Director Lamin Saidy focused on accountability and the practical needs of party operations. In his address, he stressed that every contribution and sacrifice mattered and that stewards carried a responsibility to steward resources properly. Saidy outlined the party’s efforts to improve expenditure controls, financial oversight, documentation, and discipline, emphasizing that resources come from hardworking members and supporters.
“We owe every contributor accountability. We owe our members transparency. We owe our supporters responsible stewardship,” Saidy said. He linked diaspora support to the government’s record on infrastructure, roads, education, health, agriculture, energy, digital transformation, and overall well-being under President Barrow. Saidy described the Seattle event as the start of a stronger culture of financial responsibility and institutional development, rather than merely another fundraising exercise.
Gambian Ambassador to the United Nations in New York Lamin Dibba also addressed the gathering, calling on the diaspora to support President Barrow’s re-election bid.
Burama Sanneh, also known as Fabou Sanneh, welcomed guests to the National People’s Party (NPP) USA Diaspora Fundraising Event, declaring it a powerful statement of enduring commitment to The Gambia.
Sanneh praised President Adama Barrow’s record on peace, infrastructure and national development, even though the president could not attend. He highlighted paved roads, expanded electricity, upgraded ports, clinics, TVET centers, scholarships and agricultural support as proof that the 2016 choice for stability and progress is delivering results.
“We left The Gambia, but The Gambia never left us,” Sanneh said, urging attendees not merely to donate but to invest in completing unfinished projects and securing five more years for the NPP agenda of peace, jobs, agriculture, education and healthcare.
Contributions, he stressed, would strengthen party structures across 53 constituencies and translate into boreholes, scholarships and farmer support back home. “Let’s finish the work. Together,” Sanneh concluded.
Other speakers included Bintou Njie, president of the Seattle NPP chapter, and USA/Canada Chapter representative Pa Saikou Kujabi. All urged diaspora members to contribute to the party’s election campaign efforts.
Organizers presented the evening as evidence of expanding diaspora engagement ahead of the December 2026 vote. Officials repeatedly tied the fundraising success to broader themes of party strengthening, transparent financing, and continued national development under the current administration. With more than $65,000 raised in one night and national and diaspora leaders in attendance, the NPP Seattle Chapter positioned the event as a clear signal of overseas support as the campaign season intensifies.
