The United Democratic Party has condemned remarks attributed to Lands Minister Hamat Bah and Fisheries Minister Musa Drammeh, saying serving ministers are turning to ethnic and xenophobic rhetoric instead of answering for the government’s performance as the 2026 election approaches.
The party said comments linked to Bah at an NPP meeting in Farafenni — that “foreigners from Lebanon” would never rule The Gambia, that the UDP practiced “tribal cleansing,” and that a UDP government would sack civil servants in favor of diaspora Gambians — were serious allegations that should not be treated as ordinary campaign talk.
“Gambians deserve a debate centered on governance, policies and performance, not ethnicity, ancestry, nationality or fear,” the UDP said in a statement signed by Administrative Secretary Saikou Camara.
The party noted an irony: when questions on the economy, healthcare, agriculture, electricity and the cost of living prove hard to answer, ancestry suddenly becomes a campaign issue.
It said Bah should also answer for his record as tourism minister, pointing to parliamentary and media scrutiny of an eco-lodge project awarded to Lerr Group. The contract was first reported at about D97 million, later revised to D118.57 million. The latest parliamentary disclosure said D72.73 million had been paid while the works remained incomplete.
The five reported sites were Barra in the North Bank Region; Kunkiling Forest Park, Nyanga Bantang and Arafat in the Central River Region; and Sotuma/Sotuma Samba in the Upper River Region. Construction was incomplete, and work had reportedly not begun at some locations. Those, the UDP said, were questions of public accountability, not tribe.
The party also cited reports that Drammeh, addressing a Sarahule gathering at a mosque in New York last Friday, warned the community to fear a UDP government. If accurate, it said, such language from a serving minister addressing Gambians abroad was deeply concerning.
The UDP argued the tactic was familiar. In 2021, then NPP National President Dembo “By Force” Bojang was reported to have accused the party of “ethnic cleansing.” Different year, same playbook: manufacture ethnic fears, divide voters and distract from the government’s record.
Voters, it said, were asking different questions: where are the jobs; why is the cost of living rising; why is electricity unreliable; what is being done on healthcare, agriculture and public debt; and what became of resources committed to unfinished projects.
President Adama Barrow’s government has had nearly a decade to deliver, the statement said. Gambians should judge it by results, not by fears its ministers try to create. Leaders should elevate public debate, not exploit identity. The party urged the media, civil society and the public to reject divisive rhetoric and keep the conversation on performance, policies and solutions.
