Yankuba Darboe, chairman of Brikama Area Council, has vowed to quit the United Democratic Party any day Ahmed Talib Bensouda is chosen to lead the party.

The party has recently been divided over its leadership, with supporters of Talib calling on the party leader, Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, to step aside.

However, Yankuba Darboe, who remains loyal to Lawyer Darboe’s leadership, has condemned the calls, describing them as coming from anti-Mandinka campaigners.

He warned the campaigners to form their own political party if they feel a Mandinka should not lead.

Speaking to Mengbe Kereng amid deepening division, Yankuba Darboe said: “The party (UDP) is not under Talib’s leadership; rather, it is under Lawyer Ousainou ANM Darboe, whom I subscribe to and support his agenda and follow that path.”

“Any day they tell me that has changed and it is now Talib, I will find my way somewhere else. That is my position,” he added.

He further openly accused Talib Bensouda of secretly supporting calls for him to lead, stating that Talib has long sidelined him from anything he is doing in his region.

Darboe described Talib’s camp as worse than the Barrow government if they come to power, accusing Bensouda of sponsoring others under his name with flyers and T-shirts distributed during party rallies.

“At this moment, I have everything to fear if these people come to power,” he said, referring to Talib and his supporters, adding: “They will be worse than Barrow.”

He went on to say that everything they have challenged Barrow for doing is exactly what Talib is doing.

“(President Adama) Barrow was giving out money to people using his name and rejecting UDP, and this is exactly what Talib is also doing,” he alleged.

By Adama Makasuba