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Nigeria may grant Yahya Jammeh asylum

By Tonye Bakare with agency report
12 January 2017   |   10:10 am
The House of Representatives Thursday will debate granting an asylum to the president of the Gambia Yahya Jammeh if he agrees to step down,the spokesman of the House, Abdulrazak Namdas said.
(FILES) This file photo taken on March 28, 2014 shows President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia attending the 44th summit of the 15-nation west African bloc ECOWAS at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Foundation in Yamoussoukro. Gambian President Yahya Jammeh insisted on December 21, 2016 he would not leave office in January despite his defeat in an election this month, and called for a new vote. "Unless the court decides the case, there will be no inauguration (of president-elect Adama Barrow) on the 19 January," said Jammeh, whose party has lodged a complaint with the Supreme Court to overturn the December 1 vote result. ISSOUF SANOGO / AFP

(FILES) This file photo taken on March 28, 2014 shows President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia attending the 44th summit of the 15-nation west African bloc ECOWAS at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Foundation in Yamoussoukro. Gambian President Yahya Jammeh insisted on December 21, 2016 he would not leave office in January despite his defeat in an election this month, and called for a new vote. “Unless the court decides the case, there will be no inauguration (of president-elect Adama Barrow) on the 19 January,” said Jammeh, whose party has lodged a complaint with the Supreme Court to overturn the December 1 vote result. PHOTO: ISSOUF SANOGO / AFP

The House of Representatives Thursday will debate granting an asylum to the president of the Gambia Yahya Jammeh if he agrees to step down,the spokesman of the House, Abdulrazak Namdas said.

Jammeh lost reelection to opposition candidate Adama Barrow after ruling for 22 years. He rejected the election results “in totality” a week after conceding defeat, putting the country at the risk of a political crisis.

“In the same way that I accepted the results faithfully believing that the Independent Electoral Commission was independent and honest and reliable, I hereby reject the results in totality,” he said in a statement broadcast on state television.

“Let me repeat: I will not accept the results based on what has happened,” he said, condemning “unacceptable errors” on the part of electoral authorities and calling for a new vote.

Hearing in a petition he filed to challenge the results was postponed till January 16 by the country’s Supreme Court for lack quorum.

The court’s registrar said: “the case has been adjourned until January 16, since only one of the required minimum of five judges is present.”

Nigerian lawmakers willingness to debate asylum whether the Gambian strongman should be granted asylum is line with the appointment of President Muhammadu Buhari as the chief mediator. But it remains unclear if Jammeh, who has been railing against ECOWAS’ bid to resolve the logjam, would accept the deal.

More details to come…

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