Gunjur-born British lawyer Lamin J. Darboe has blasted the United Democratic Party’s recent flagbearer selection process as “senseless.”

The process saw the party’s longest-serving leader, Ousainou Darboe, secure over 16,000 votes out of more than 17,000, leaving the remaining nine contenders to share around 1,000 votes.

Reacting to the outcome, Lamin Darboe expressed shock at the results. “I got 65%, and Ousainou, the leader, got 98%. The gap was huge. I was genuinely surprised. I accept the outcome, but to be honest, I don’t agree with such a disparity,” he said.

Mr Darboe was also questioned about selling himself to the grassroots. He rejected the suggestion, saying, “I am not an executive member, so I did not campaign around the country. You can go to my local chapter in Gunjur; they will tell you about my contributions.”

While accepting the overall vetting process, Darboe called for a careful review of the selection system. “It doesn’t make sense that all the other candidates together have just a thousand votes to share, while Ousainou got 16,800 votes and Amadou Sanneh got 5,000 votes,” he said.

The lawyer argued that such disparities undermine the credibility of the process and urged the party to examine the selection carefully to ensure fairness and transparency.

His comments come amid ongoing scrutiny of the UDP’s internal election mechanisms, raising questions about how votes are distributed and whether the process allows for genuine competition among contenders.

He stressed that his intention is not to discredit the party but to highlight areas needing improvement. “This aspect of the selection process needs to be looked at very carefully,” he added.

The UDP has yet to respond to Darboe’s statements, leaving party members and observers debating the fairness of the recent vote.

By Adama Makasuba