At a press conference yesterday at the party’s head office, in response to the rejection of the 2024 Draft Constitution, Mr. Darboe claimed that the 2024 draft constitution does not reflect the “will of the Gambian people.”
Earlier yesterday, the party criticised the revised draft tabled by the executive for a second reading as being “doctored” to advance what it called the personal ambitions of President Adama Barrow.
“Today, we honour and celebrate the 21 courageous National Assembly Members who voted against President Barrow’s doctored constitution—a document manipulated to serve selfish ambitions rather than the will of the Gambian people,” a statement signed by Tombong Saidy, UDP’s administrative secretary for Media and Communication, reads.
According to the UDP, the rejected version of the constitution departed significantly from the 2020 draft, which was previously developed through nationwide consultations. The party accused the government of seeking to remove key safeguards, including provisions on presidential term limits.
“President Barrow’s attempt to hijack the 2020 draft constitution for his own agenda—extending term limits and entrenching his rule—was a direct assault on our democracy,” Saidy claimed. “But thanks to the unwavering stance of these 21 NAMs, Gambians have been spared from a dark path of dictatorship and constitutional manipulation.”
