The Speaker of Nigeria House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, has urged leaders of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to stop defeated President of Gambia, Yahya Jammeh from plunging his country into anarchy.
It could be recalled that one week after conceding defeat to opposition leader, Adama Barrow, Jammeh on Friday, in a televised address to the country rejected the outcome of the election.
Jammeh called for fresh election to be conducted by a “God-fearing and independent electoral commission”.
The Speaker of Nigeria’s lower chamber made the appeal in a statement in which he also commended the people of the Republic of Ghana over the just concluded Presidential and Parliamentary elections, according to a statement from his office signed by Mr Turaki Hassan, his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs on Saturday in Abuja.
According to Dogara, the peaceful conduct of the elections tells volumes as to the development of political culture of the Ghanians.
The speaker, who commended President John Mahamma for conceding defeat, described him as a democrat and an African patriot.
“I also call on the President-elect Nana Akufor-Addo to rally all Ghanians around the new government as elections are over.
“Democracy is fast taking deep roots in our beloved continent of Africa,’’ Dogara said.
“The victory of the opposition in Nigeria in 2015, Gambia and Ghana recently and the acceptance of defeat by the incumbent presidents signals a new era in Africa.”
“It is in this respect that Nigeria must lead efforts and where necessary intervene to stop the outgoing Gambian President from reneging on his remarkable action in earlier accepting defeat.
“There is no longer any place or space for tyranny and dictatorship on the African continent.
“The era of obtaining victory at elections by corrupting the process is gone and gone for good.
“The challenge before leaders in Africa is to take the people out of poverty which is a major threat to democracy and enthrone a just and prosperous society,” Dogara said. (NAN)