UDP Legends Profile: Hon. Momodou Lamin K. Sanneh
Hon. Momodou Lamin K. Sanneh is one of the longest-serving and most respected figures in the history of The Gambia’s opposition United Democratic Party (UDP). A founding member, veteran politician, former National Assembly Member for Kiang West, former Minority Leader, former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, and longtime senior party official, Alhaji Sanneh has devoted decades of his life to public service and the democratic struggle.
Born in 1942 in Batteling, Kiang West, Momodou Sanneh began his public life long before the birth of the UDP. He was politically active during the First Republic and contested elections on several occasions before eventually becoming one of the prominent figures of the UDP.
His political breakthrough came in the 2007 National Assembly elections, when he contested Kiang West on the UDP ticket and defeated the incumbent ruling-party candidate. He subsequently served as the National Assembly Member for Kiang West from 2007 to 2012. During that period, he became Minority Leader of the National Assembly, providing an important voice for the opposition at a time when political dissent under the Yahya Jammeh regime came with enormous risks.
As Minority Leader, Hon. Sanneh served on several important parliamentary committees, including the National Assembly Authority, Public Accounts Committee, Defence and Security Committee, and Government Project Monitoring Committee. He also represented The Gambia in the ECOWAS Parliament between 2007 and 2012.
His commitment to the UDP was tested in one of the darkest periods of the party’s history. In April 2016, following the peaceful protests demanding justice for Solo Sandeng and greater respect for democratic rights, Momodou Sanneh was among senior UDP leaders and activists arrested by the Jammeh regime. He was subsequently prosecuted and sentenced to three years in prison.
For the UDP, his imprisonment was not merely a personal ordeal. It was another chapter in the long struggle endured by party members who refused to surrender their political convictions in the face of repression.
Following the change of government in 2017, Hon. Sanneh returned to the National Assembly as one of the President’s nominated members. He was subsequently elected Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, serving from 2017 to 2022. In that position, he continued his commitment to parliamentary democracy and national service.
Within the UDP, his stature continued to grow. At the party’s 2018 elective congress, he was elected Second National Vice President, placing him among the senior leadership of the party.
His political experience and loyalty to the party have also made him an important elder and source of counsel within the UDP. In 2026, Party Leader H.E. ANM Ousainu Darboe publicly recognized Alhaji Momodou Sanneh as a founding member and highlighted the deep bonds forged among the pioneers of the party during its formative years.
For decades, Hon. Momodou Sanneh has represented a generation of Gambian politicians who endured political uncertainty, opposition, imprisonment, and personal sacrifice in the pursuit of democratic government. His journey, from political activism during the First Republic, to UDP parliamentarian and Minority Leader, to political prisoner, and ultimately Deputy Speaker of a democratic National Assembly, is a remarkable chapter in The Gambia’s political history.
Hon. Momodou Lamin K. Sanneh, thank you for your tremendous service to our country and to the United Democratic Party. Thank you for your courage, resilience, political wisdom, and unwavering commitment to public service.
You stood with the UDP through difficult times. You carried the voice of the opposition in the National Assembly. You endured imprisonment for standing up for democratic rights. And you continued to serve your country when the opportunity for democratic renewal finally came.
As we celebrate 30 years of the United Democratic Party, we celebrate you as one of the party’s pioneering members, its elders, and its enduring voices.
You are a founding member.
You are a parliamentarian.
You are a freedom fighter.
You are a party elder.
You are part of the UDP story.
Happy 30th Anniversary, Hon. Momodou Lamin K. Sanneh.
May your decades of service continue to inspire generations of Gambians to stand for democracy, justice, accountability, and a better Gambia.
UDP Media & Communications Team