ONE TERM, ONE TEAM, ONE CHANCE:

An open appeal to Team Gambia, the Gambia First Coalition and the UNITE movement

By Capt. (Rtd.) Ebou Jallow

On 5 December, Gambians will decide more than who governs for the next five years. They will decide whether ten years of unfinished reform ends in a new beginning or continues into an open-ended third term with no constitutional limits.

Two opposition coalitions have now made the same promise:

– Team Gambia Grand Coalition 2026: its flag bearer would serve one term, with binding safeguards so the commitment is honored.

– The Gambia First Coalition: Ousainou Darboe pledges to serve only one term, deliver a new constitution, revive the economy, reform the security sector, rebuild an independent civil service, organize a free and fair election, and then hand over.

You agree on the goal. You agree on the method. The only question left is whether you will reach it together or lose apart.

1. The arithmetic does not forgive division

The Gambia elects its president by simple plurality. There is no runoff. The candidate with the most votes wins, even with less than half.

That means every vote split between opposition candidates strengthens the incumbent. Two or three strong opposition campaigns can together win more votes than the incumbent and still lose.

In 2021, President Barrow won about 53%. The opposition combined won roughly 47%, and it was divided between several candidates. The lesson is simple: divided, the opposition cannot win. United, it has a real chance, but only if it also wins over undecided voters and disappointed NPP supporters. Unity is the starting point for victory, not a guarantee of it.

2. 2016 proved that unity works

Ten years ago, Gambians did what the world said was impossible. A united coalition removed a 22-year dictatorship peacefully, at the ballot box.

That victory was built on sacrifice. Parties set aside their own ambitions for the sake of the nation. Halifa Sallah served as the coalition’s spokesperson and principled voice. The UDP, whose leader was in prison at the time, put its members, structures and resources behind a single candidate.

3. Why Lawyer Darboe should carry the flag

This is not about one man’s ambition. Darboe has already said he will serve one term only and hand over. It is about choosing the strongest vehicle for the shared reform agenda.

– The largest base: Darboe came second in 2021 with about 28% of the vote, far ahead of every other opposition candidate. No other opposition party has a comparable nationwide following.

– The strongest structure: the UDP has organizers in every region and ward. With five weeks to go, there is no time to build that machinery from scratch.

– Proven sacrifice: Darboe was jailed in 2016 for leading the protest after Solo Sandeng’s death in custody. His party paid a heavy price under Jammeh.

– A transitional leader by design: a one-term presidency suits a leader with Darboe’s experience. He is not seeking a career in State House. He is offering to fix the system and leave.

4. Learning from 2016: make the promise binding

Team Gambia is right to ask: “How do we know this time will be different?”

The 2016 coalition agreement failed because it rested on trust alone. This time, the commitment must rest on guarantees. A united coalition should agree on:

(i) A published, signed coalition agreement, witnessed by religious leaders, civil society, the Bar Association and international observers, setting out the one-term pledge, the reform timetable and power-sharing.

(ii) Term limits in the new constitution that apply to the sitting president, with no reset clause and no exceptions.

(iii) A fixed reform timetable: a new constitution put to the people within the term, with clear milestones.

(iv) Real power-sharing: Team Gambia should have a meaningful role, for example the vice-presidency, key ministries, and leadership of the constitutional reform process. Halifa Sallah’s integrity and expertise make him an obvious choice to help guide constitutional reform.

(v) Public accountability: a joint coalition council that meets regularly and reports publicly on progress.

Team Gambia has called for safeguards. Darboe has made the pledge. Put the two together and you have the most credible reform coalition since 1996.

5. The stakes are too high for pride

If the opposition goes into 5 December divided, the likely outcome is clear:

– A third term for Barrow with no term limits in the constitution

– Reform delayed again, perhaps for another decade

– Further defections from a weakened opposition

– Young Gambians still losing hope and risking the back way

History will not remember which party had the better logo or the bigger rally. It will remember whether the opposition put The Gambia first.

6. A message to each camp

To Team Gambia: you have shown principle by demanding a one-term limit with legal safeguards. Darboe has accepted that principle. Your voice can make the coalition credible. Join it, shape it and hold it accountable from inside.

To the Gambia First Coalition: being the largest party carries responsibility, not entitlement. Reach out with humility, offer genuine power-sharing, and accept safeguards without hesitation. Prove that 2016 will not be repeated.

To all opposition supporters: encourage your leaders to talk. Unity is built by those willing to compromise.

7. One term, one team, one chance

The two coalitions already share the essentials: one term, a new constitution, accountable leadership, and a free and fair election to follow. What’s missing is a single candidate and a binding agreement. With Ousainou Darboe as flag bearer, Team Gambia as an equal partner, and legal safeguards to protect the promise, the opposition can offer Gambians what they voted for in 2016 and have been waiting for ever since: A transitional government that fixes the system, then steps aside.

Divided, we hand over the future. United, we can rebuild it.

Leaders of Team Gambia, the Gambia First Coalition and Unite Movement: the nation is waiting. Sit down. Sign. Unite 

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