Defeated Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh, has called the newly elected President of the small West African country, Adama Barrow, to concede defeat.
There had been reports before the declaration of results on Friday, that Mr. Jammeh had recorded a concession video.
The man, who had led Gambia with what many describe as iron fist, promised to offer his guidance to Mr. Barrow 51, through the transition process.
He said he respects the will of the Gambian people, and that he was grateful to them and to the Almighty Allah for the opportunity to lead his people.
“I am calling you to wish you all the best. The Gambian people have spoken and I have no reason to contest the will of the Almighty Allah. I wish you all the best. The country will be in your hands in January and you are assured of my guidance on your transition. You are the elected President of The Gambia and I wish you all the best. I have no ill-will, and I wish you all the best. This is transparent, this is the will of Allah and as a Muslim I accept it in good faith; the Ugandan people have chosen you.”
My time is up – Jammeh
Mr. Jammeh in a rather hearty conversation, shared some jokes with the new President, and said he believed that his time was up. He revealed that he was going into farming in his home village in The Gambia.
“After 22 years, I am grateful to the Almighty Allah for that. I remember I came on Friday 22nd of July, and I lost on Friday the 2nd of December; Allah is telling me that my time is up and I hand over graciously with gratitude to The Gambian people and gratitude to the Almighty Allah to you.”
Mr. Barrow in response also said he was also born on Friday, specifically 15th February, 1965, and he interestingly won the elections on a Friday. He thanked Mr. Jammeh for calling to concede defeat to him.
The Head of The Gambia’s Electoral Commission declared Adama Barrow as the winner of the 2016 presidential election, with 263,515 votes to Yahya Jammeh’s 212,099 votes.
The Electoral Commissioner of Gambia, Chief Alieu Momar Njie, said it was unprecedented for a Gambian head of state to accept defeat before the final results
Mr. Barrow led a coalition of seven opposition parties to end the tyrannical rule of Mr. Jammeh who has been accused of suppressing freedoms, jailing political opponents and critics of his government, and in some cases killing such persons.
On Election Day, he shut down the internet blocking social media, blocked international phone calls and stopped many observers from observing the process.
Mr Jammeh had been in power for 22 years, after taking power in in a coup in 1994. The West African country has not had a smooth transfer of power since independence in 1965.
He had been trailing Mr. Barrow in partial results and was defeated in the capital, Banjul, his stronghold.
The Gambia is bounded by Senegal, with a narrow Atlantic coastline.
It is known for its diverse ecosystems around the central Gambia River.
Abundant wildlife in its Kiang West National Park and Bao Bolong Wetland Reserve includes monkeys, leopards, hippos, hyenas and rare birds.
The capital, Banjul, and nearby Serrekunda offer access to beaches.
The country’s populatiion as at 2013 according to World Bank figures, was 1.8 million.
Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.
(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
