I’ll hand over power peacefully when my tenure elapses – Gambia’s Barrow

Gambia President Adama Barrow

President Adama Barrow of The Gambia has pledged to ensure smooth transfer of power to his successor when his tenure as president elapses.

Mr. Barrow said this during an interview with the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), on Sunday night. 
The newly inaugurated president acknowledged the contribution of African and world leaders in ensuring the success of the December 1 presidential election he won to defeat Yahya Jammeh who had led the country for 22 years.

He also said his administration will put in place laws that will ensure smooth transfer of power and ensure presidential term limit in Gambia.

Said he, “This time the democratic principle will be reinstated. And we will improve on them. We will put in place laws that nobody will stay long. Laws like term limit.

“Every president will know that; ‘look I am president but at this time I will leave power.’ You will behave yourself and try to work for the country so that you will leave a good legacy,” Mr. Barrow said.

Speaking regarding the exile of former President, Yahya Jammeh, Mr. Barrow said his government decided to allow Mr. Jammeh leave the country, in order to ensure his (Jammeh’s) safety.

“We don’t want him to stay in the Gambia, because we cannot guarantee his security. The security situation in the Gambia is fragile. It’s a very difficult situation. And if you allow a former President to stay in your country, you have to guarantee his security.

“If you cannot guarantee his security, it will be impossible for us to keep him. That is why our stand is; let him leave to a foreign land. In the future he might come back if things settle down,” Mr. Barrow said.

Mr. Jammeh, who had led the country for more than 22 years, defied efforts by ECOWAS leaders to get him to step down from office having lost the presidential election. He disputed the elections a few days after he initially conceded defeat, citing widespread irregularities.

The former president, who is accused of human rights violations, flew out of the capital Banjul late on Saturday as a regional military force was poised to remove him. Later that day, he arrived the Equatorial Guinea where he is expected to settle with his family.