Gambia’s Electoral Chief Warns Jammeh

Alieu Momar Njai: I’m 80 years old. No one – not even Dictator Jammeh – can cow me down! I swore to the Quran and I see only Allah in executing my duties!

Gambia’s electoral commission chief Alieu Momar Njie has warned President Yahya Jammeh against his bid to overturn the election result.

Mr Njie told the veteran ruler that his U-turn after conceding defeat will not change the fact that he lost to property developer Adama Barrow.

“The election results were correct, nothing will change that. If it goes to court, we can prove every vote cast. The results are there for everyone to see,” Mr Njie was quoted saying.

President Jammeh, in a strange twits, rejected the outcome of the December 2 election and vowed to challenge his defeat in the Supreme Court. He alleged that the poll was marred by irregularities and that many of his supporters were prevented from casting their ballots, President Jammeh had earlier accepted losing to the opposition coalition candidate and promised to hand over power.

Mr Barrow won 222,708 votes (43.34 per cent), compared with President Jammeh’s 208,487 (39.6 per cent). A third candidate, Mr Mama Kandeh, won 89,768 (17.1 per cent).

The ECOWAS Commission, the African Union Commission and the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, (UNOWAS), have condemned Yahyah Jammeh’s rejection of last week’s results of Gambian presidential election.

Jammeh, who has ruled the tiny West African nation for 22 years, lost the election to a property developer, Adama Barrow, who won more than 45% of the vote. Jammeh had initially conceded defeat.

The Gambia’s state media broadcast a phone call in which President Jammeh told Barrow that he wanted to hand over power graciously and vowed not to contest the results of the December 1 election.

Jammeh, 51, congratulated Barrow for his “clear victory” and praised the elections as “transparent” and “rig-proof.” He also said, “Allah is telling me my time is up,” and added he would move to his farm after leaving office in January.

Besides, only last week, the president was shown on state TV calling Mr Barrow to wish him well. “You are the elected president of The Gambia, and I wish you all the best. I have no ill will,” he said at the time.

Courtesy of Vanguard

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