The
outgoing Gambian president, Yahya Jammeh, has said that the recent Ecowas
summit, where a decision on Gambia was taken, was just a formality because even
before the gathering, it was decided that “Jammeh must step down”.
“I
will not step down,” he said. “I have
made it very clear that I will not accept the result. They even asked me to leave the country for
peace to prevail but I will not leave or go anywhere.”
Jammeh
accused the West African regional bloc, Ecowas, for interfering into the
internal affairs of the country as a sovereign state.
During
a meeting with a delegation from the African Bar Association at the State House
in Banjul, yesterday, Jammeh said Ecowas action is a violation of the cardinal
principle of the country’s constitution.
He
still maintained that “there were a lot of irregularities discovered during the
electoral process” and there were 360,711 voters who did not vote.
He
said this is why he decided to take the matter to court, Supreme Court.
In
spite of this, in a communiqué at the end of its summit on Saturday, Ecowas
leaders said they are to take all necessary actions to enforce the result of
the 1st December 2016 elections.
After
accepting the result as the will of the Gambian people and called
president-elect to congratulate him, outgoing president Jammeh now faulted the
process, fairness and result of the election which he initially described as
“most transparent and rig-proof”.
Jammeh
is also calling for fresh election.
But
in the Ecowas communiqué, the West African leaders agreed to uphold the result
of election, and called on Jammeh to respect it as the will of the Gambian
people.
The
sub-regional bloc also urged him to refrain from any action likely to
compromise the transition and peaceful transfer of power to the
president-elect.
However,
Jammeh said he will not be intimidated by any power in this world.
“I
want to make sure that justice is obtained.
I am a man of peace but that doesn’t mean that I won’t defend
myself. I am not a coward,” he
said. “Nobody can deprive me of that
victory except the Almighty Allah.”
