PMB Hold Talks With Gambian Counterpart – Demands For Constitution To Be Respected

By Adenike Lucas

President Muhammadu Buhari is holding talks with the President of Gambia over the December 1st Presidential elections which saw Adama Barrow win 263,515 of the votes.

President Yahaya Jammeh who received 212,099 of the votes conceded defeat in a widely shared video. But the former military ruler surprised many by recanting and then annulling the elections.

President Buhari meets with Jammeh – Pic Credit @MBuhari

The President of Nigeria, a country with a leading voice within the west African region, arrived in Banjul, the capital of the Gambia, this morning, to reach out to both parties in order to encourage President Jammeh to quit and abandon any plan to scuttle the elections.

In a tweet, President Buhari said: “I am in the Gambia with other ECOWAS leaders to insist on the sanctity of the electoral process.

“We will be asking President Jammeh to respect his country’s constitution and to maintain the inviolability of the electoral process.”

Members of the All Progressives Congress in the United Kingdom, led by Mr Ade Omole commended President Buhari “on the active steps he has taken in maintaining peace and order in the Gambia.”

A press statement from the group acknowledged media reports which states that the outgoing President, Alhaji Jammeh was “now receptive to accept his election defeat following the meeting with President Buhari and other leaders from West Africa.”

The message seen by this blog said “steps taken by President Buhari, this morning to dialogue with the outgoing President, Yahaya Jammeh to ensure he respects the will of the people of Gambia, is another promise fulfilled.”

The APC UK credits the leader of its government for the task of convincing Alhaji Jammeh to uphold the sanctity of the election, saying “it is a testament of President Buhari’s ability to re-position our dear country as the giant of Africa and should be seen as the greatest opportunity to leverage on our great standing within the region.”

President Buhari who is in the Gambia with Liberian President, Ellen Sirleaf, their Ghanian and Sierra Leonian counterpart, Dr Mahama and Ernest Bai Koroma, will arrive back in Abuja shortly.