By Chinyere Aruogu
President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia has dared his colleagues advising him not to stay put in office, saying he would not step down.
Jammeh has also condemned mediation by the West African regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), that is working to get him to leave power after he lost a December 1 election to the opposition candidate, Adama Barrow.
Jammeh’s fresh stance on the election makes nonsense of initial thinking that he could change his mind. But his comments on state television late on Tuesday, December 20 were not only hard but an indication that he is prepared to fight dirty despite the position ECOWAS had taken.
Barrow is expected to be inaugurated on January 18, 2017 if Jammeh decides to vacate office.
However, Jammeh made a shocking statement on Tuesday, saying: “I am not a coward. My right cannot be intimidated and violated.
“This is my position. Nobody can deprive me of that victory except the Almighty Allah.”
“Already the ECOWAS meeting was a formality. Before they came, they had already said Jammeh must step down. I will not step down,” he announced.
Jammeh initially accepted the results of an election whose outcome was seen as a moment of hope across Africa. He was reported to have called to congratulate his challenger, Barrow on December 1.
But on December 9, he reversed his position and said he would challenge in the country’s Supreme Court the results of the election, which he alleged was riddled with irregularities.