By Alieu Ceesay
The United Democratic Party held a political rally at Kotu Quarry over the weekend as it stepped up efforts to win votes ahead of the 5 December presidential election.
The gathering formed part of the opposition party’s campaign to present itself as the alternative to President Adama Barrow’s government. Speakers focused on the country’s persistent electricity shortages, the high cost of living and what they described as the daily hardships facing ordinary Gambians.
Banjul Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe, a senior UDP figure, urged supporters to back the party and its flag-bearer, Lawyer Ousainou Darboe. “All this noise is just for December 5th, so that’s why I’m urging you all to go and vote for my dad, Lawyer Ousainou Darboe,” she told the crowd.
Lowe linked the party’s message to the nationwide blackouts and the strain on households. “We all know the cost of living in the country, the hospital bills, and we all know NAWEC electricity is unstable,” she said.
The power crisis has become a central campaign issue after weeks of outages across the Greater Banjul Area and other parts of the country, prompting protests and criticism of the National Water and Electricity Company.
Party leader Ousainou Darboe used the rally to set out a limited-time offer to voters. He said he needed only one term to put the country on a new path. “Just give us five years. Within five years, we will bring you programs that will satisfy you. You will have a constitution, we will place the country’s economy on a strong foundation, you will see great security and that of the Civil and Public Service Commission,” Darboe told supporters.
Darboe, who leads the UDP and the Gambia First Coalition alliance, has repeatedly framed the December poll as a chance to rescue the country after what he calls years of failed governance.
He has pledged constitutional reform, including term limits, stronger public institutions and an economic reset.
The Kotu rally comes as opposition parties and the ruling National People’s Party hold meetings nationwide. Presidential candidates are scheduled to be nominated in November, with voting on 5 December.
UDP officials said the turnout in Kotu showed growing support in the Kombo area. They argued that frustration over unreliable electricity, rising living costs and public services would decide the election. The government has promised that new equipment and regional power imports will ease the blackouts before the end of October, a claim the opposition has dismissed as too little, too late.
