Why I left the NPP: Former Fundraising Chairman Fanding Baldeh known as Baldeh Banna speaks out.

Former National People's Party (NPP) West Coast Regional Executive Committee member and Chairman of the party's Fundraising Committee, Fanding Baldeh, popularly known as Baldeh Banna, has explained the reasons behind his resignation from the ruling party, alleging that it has abandoned the principles on which it came to power. Baldeh, who announced his resignation on June 23, 2026, said during an interview on AG Radio's weekly Viewpoint programme that he believes the NPP is taking The Gambia "in the wrong direction." “The NPP has now become a group of selfish Gambians who are interested in enriching themselves and not in the lives of ordinary people,”Baldeh said. "The National People's Party projects strength to the public, but internally it is a very weak and divided party. If the opposition succeeds in forming a strong coalition, President Barrow will lose this year's election," Baldeh claimed. Reflecting on his political journey, Baldeh said he joined the NPP after the collapse of the Coalition 2016 government because he believed the party offered the best opportunity to move the country forward. "When the coalition government failed in 2017, I decided to join the NPP when President Barrow formed the party. At the time, I believed the UDP was more interested in rescuing its party than rescuing The Gambia," he said. Baldeh told AG Radio that his decision to leave the ruling party was driven by what he considers President Adama Barrow's failure to fulfill several key commitments made to Gambians. Among the issues he cited was President Barrow's 2016 campaign pledge to lead a three-year transitional government before stepping aside. Although Barrow ultimately completed his constitutionally mandated five-year term and later sought re-election, Baldeh argued that this represented a departure from the political commitment made during the Coalition 2016 campaign. He also criticized the President over the issue of presidential term limits. According to Baldeh, Barrow had promised to support a two-term limit for presidents but later backed constitutional proposals that, in his view, weakened that commitment. Baldeh acknowledged that constitutional amendments require parliamentary approval but maintained that the President failed to uphold the spirit of his original promise. Baldeh further expressed disappointment over the failure to replace the 1997 Constitution with a new democratic constitution. He said although there have been years of constitutional reform efforts, Gambians are still being governed under the existing Constitution because successive draft constitutions failed to get the required parliamentary support. “These developments are what he referred to as a pattern of unfulfilled promises that have eroded public confidence in the government and led him to believe that he could no longer be a member of the NPP ruling party. His resignation comes at a politically sensitive time as parties prepare for the 2026 presidential election, with opposition parties conducting coalition talks and debate over the government’s record and campaign pledges intensifying.