This year’s tour, according to party officials, is the most spectacular tour ever staged by the United Democratic Party, as thousands of young energetic men and women, in fanfare escorted the party flag bearer from Brikama to his Pipeline residence.
Addressing thousands of supporters on Friday at his residence, Darboe said he heard the concerns raised by Gambians during this tour.
“Gambians across all works of life from Barra to Pasamass and from Fatoto to Banjul, I’ve heard their concerns and concerns that they shared with us,” Darboe said.
These concerns, he added, are not only unique to the people in the rural areas, but should be universally applicable to all Gambians.
The veteran politician also reminded Gambians that this is the election that people will make a choice between a leader that is self-centered and a leader that is not.
“This is the election that you’ll make a choice between a leader that has concern over the economic progress of this country and one that concerns only about his personal well-being”.
He challenged his compatriots that this is the election that Gambians should choose between a leader who lives to his words and one who doesn’t.
“When we went to the polls in 2016, we were looking forward to a Gambia that we all would be proud of”.
According to him, the basic things, such as the constitution which would have laid the foundation of a new Gambia has been thrown away into the dustbin.
He accused President Barrow of ignoring the country’s agenda for his own personal gains.
Furthermore, he informed Gambians that this forthcoming election is crucial in the sense that the citizens would make a choice between a leadership that really means his words; a leader that believes in constitutionalism; a leader that believes that the executive should not be that too powerful and a leader that believes that there should be decentralisation.
“That is the choice you have to make. You have to make a choice between a leader who wants to fight corruption and a leader who encourages corruption. We’ve seen what has happened at the KMC when the Lord Mayor, convinced by the ideas and philosophy of the United Democratic Party that corruption has no place in The Gambia.”
Darboe said that the mayor of KMC has put appropriate stops to ensure that corruption malpractices going on there were properly addressed but the executive intervened and ensured that the people suspected continued to be in office.
“Is that the government you want to have in this country?
“My compatriots, we come to offer you a government that is different from this current government; we come to offer you a government that will run service to the people of The Gambia; a government that will fight corruption to the latter,” he noted.
A UDP government, Darboe revealed, will look after the welfare of ordinary Gambians, adding that a UDP led-government will live by its words.
“A UDP led-government will look after the environment. We cannot be people that would give licenses to logger at the detriment to have forest covered.”
He commended the media for their extra-ordinary coverage throughout our campaign.
“No one went hungry for information during our campaign tour. I thank you and appreciate you very much,” he concluded.
