Ingram Reginald “Femi” Peters was a veteran Gambian politician, founding-era member and senior executive of the United Democratic Party (UDP), and one of the party’s most steadfast campaigners and defenders of democratic freedoms.
Born in Banjul in 1946, Femi Peters was already active in Gambian politics before the formation of the UDP. Following the 1994 military takeover and the banning of political parties, he joined the UDP and became one of its prominent senior figures. He served in several leadership capacities, including as the party’s Propaganda Secretary and Campaign Manager, and played an important role in organizing and mobilizing the party’s supporters.
Femi Peters became widely known for his courage and determination in confronting authoritarian rule. In October 2009, he was arrested after the UDP held a political rally in Serekunda. He was subsequently convicted under the Public Order Act for organizing a procession and using a public loudspeaker without the required police authorization. In April 2010, he was sentenced to one year in prison and fined D10,000. Amnesty International regarded him as a prisoner of conscience and campaigned for his release. He was released early in December 2010 after serving most of his sentence.
In April 2016, Femi Peters once again put himself on the front lines of the struggle for democratic freedoms. He joined UDP Party Leader H.E ANM Ousainu Darboe and other senior party officials in a peaceful demonstration demanding answers about the detention and death in custody of UDP youth leader Ebrima Solo Sandeng. The demonstrators were violently dispersed and arrested, and Peters was subsequently imprisoned alongside Darboe and other UDP executives.
The group was later released in December 2016, following the presidential election that brought about the political transition and the defeat of Yahya Jammeh. Peters emerged from his imprisonment having endured another period of detention, but his commitment to the UDP and to democratic change remained unwavering.
Following the transition, Femi Peters was appointed The Gambia’s Ambassador to the Republic of Sierra Leone in May 2017, bringing his long career of public and political service into the diplomatic arena.
Sadly, his diplomatic service was cut short. Ambassador Femi Peters died in Freetown on January 20, 2018, at the age of 72. His death was widely mourned across The Gambia, with tributes remembering him as a devoted, selfless, and courageous public servant whose name had become deeply associated with the country’s struggle for democratic freedoms.
Femi Peters left behind a legacy of courage, sacrifice, resilience, and service. He was among the UDP stalwarts who stood firm during some of the darkest years of Gambian political history, repeatedly accepting personal hardship in pursuit of a more democratic and free Gambia.
His contribution remains an enduring part of the United Democratic Party’s 30-year history.
The late Ambassador Femi Peters, thank you for your tremendous service to our country and to the United Democratic Party. Your courage, sacrifice, dedication, and unwavering commitment to democratic values have earned you a permanent place in the history and legacy of the UDP.
As we celebrate 30 years of the United Democratic Party, we remember and honor you among the many patriots who gave so much to the party and to The Gambia. Your legacy lives on.
May your soul continue to rest in perfect peace.
Happy 30th Anniversary, UDP Legend, Ambassador Femi Peters.
UDP Media & Communications Team