The four West African leaders, including
President Muhammadu Buhari, who, on Monday, met in Abuja on the
political impasse in The Gambia, have resolved to resolve the matter in
conformity with the nation’s constitution.
They also said the will of the people
would be respected in the process of resolving the logjam while stating
that another meeting would be held between the ECOWAS delegation and
embattled President Yahya Jammeh.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geofrey
Onyema, said this while addressing State House correspondents at the
end of the meeting attended by Buhari; the President of Liberia, Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf; President of Senegal, Macky Sall; a former President of
Ghana, John Mahama; the President of the ECOWAS Commission and the
Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, who is
the head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel.
Buhari hosted the meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in his capacity as the Chief Mediator in the crisis.
Onyema said the leaders agreed to meet
again with Jammeh on the need for him to see reason and allow the
inauguration of the President-elect, Adama Barrow, on January 19
according to the country’s constitution.
The meeting, which will be the second one in recent time, has been scheduled to hold in Banjul on Wednesday.
He said the leaders also raised concerns
over some developments in The Gambia, including the closure of media
houses and indiscriminate arrests of persons.
The minister added, “They (the West
African leaders) agreed on the determination to resolve The Gambian
political crisis in a manner that every step of the way conforms to the
constitution of The Gambia and respect the will of the people of The
Gambia.
“They expressed particular concern at
the deteriorating situation that has been reported in respect of
security in The Gambia in particular, the closure of some of the radio
stations, arrests that have been taking place and also the refugee
situation that is being created with the exodus of a large number of
people to the interior and to neighbouring countries.
“In view of this, the meeting agreed
that a certain number of Presidents will visit, in two days’ time,
President Jammeh in The Gambia and that again will comprise the
mediator, President Buhari, together with the President of Liberia and
hopefully, the President of Sierra-Leone and the co-mediator, the former
President of Ghana (John Mahamma) as well as the President of the
ECOWAS commission, the Special Representatives of United Nations and
also a representative of the African Union.
“So, this meeting will take place in two
days time on Wednesday to discuss with President Jammeh the need to
respect the constitution.”
Our corespondent observed that towards
the end of the meeting, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gabriel Olonishakin,
was summoned and he joined them briefly before the meeting ended.
No explanation was given for his invitation.
The political impasse in The Gambia
started when Jammeh, who had earlier conceded defeat in the country’s
presidential election after a 22-year rule, later recanted, asking for a
fresh poll to be conducted by a “god-fearing and independent electoral
commission.”
ECOWAS, which has insisted that Jammeh
must quit the stage for the President-elect on January 19, had, at its
summit in Abuja on December 17, 2016, chosen Buhari as the Mediator for
The Gambia with Mahama as the co-Mediator.
Source: [ PunchNG ]
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