The Authority of Heads of States of the Economic Community of West African Sates (ECOWAS) says it will enforce the result of The Gambia presidential election on December 1, which saw Mr. Adama Barrow emerging as the president-elect.
In a communique issued at the end of their 50th Ordinary Summit in Abuja on Saturday night, the ECOWAS leaders insisted “The authority shall take all necessary actions to enforce the results of 1st December 2016 elections in Gambia.”
The heads of states argued that Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh, had initially accepted the results announced by the Independent Electoral Commission on 2 December 2016 and congratulated the new President-elect before changing his mind based on corrections to the initial results by Electoral Commission, which, however, did not alter the outcome of the election.
The communique said that all the Heads of States will attend the inauguration of the President-elect, Mr. Adama Barrow, who they said must be sworn in on 19 January 2017 in conformity with The Gambia constitution.
It also called for the endorsement of the African Union and the United Nations on all decisions taken on the matter of The Gambia and also requests their support for the mediation efforts of ECOWAS, including the provision of technical assistance where required.
According to the communique, “The authority encourages all stakeholders, within and outside The Gambia, to exercise restraint, respect the rule of law and ensure the peaceful transfer of power.”
It calls on The Gambian defence and security forces to perform their role in a nationalistic manner and protect lives and property,” the communique added.
Photo credit: Adeola Fayehun
