I will not step down – Gambian President, Jammeh insists

Despite losing the December 1 election, Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh, has insisted he won’t step down.

Jammeh’s insistence to stay was broadcast on state television on Tuesday.

He said: “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,” Mr. Jammeh said.

“Already the ECOWAS meeting was a formality. Before they came, they had already said Jammeh must step down. I will not step down.

“The political crisis in The Gambia will be settled internally and peacefully, I would maintain my position of challenging the election result,” he insisted.

Recall that initially, Jammeh accepted the results of an election whose outcome was seen across Africa as a moment of hope, however, on December 9, he reversed his position and said he would challenge the result at the country’s Supreme Court; a result he said was riddled with irregularities.

President Jammeh, who is accused by human rights groups of the detention, torture and killing of perceived opponents during his 22-year rule, has been urged by West African leaders and Western powers to hand over power peacefully.