TMG lauds Gambia electorates, tasks Ghana on peaceful poll

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The Gambians jubilating with the poster of Adama Barrow.

The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) has congratulated the government and people of the Gambia on the successful outcome of the just concluded December 2, 2016 Presidential election in the country.

Chairperson of the group Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi said in a statement on Monday that this is the first peaceful transition of power in the West African nation’s history since her independence from the United Kingdom in 1965.

She also commended Yahaya Jammeh, who had ruled Gambia for 22 years for conceding defeat in the election as he vowed not to contest the result in a phone call to his political opponent, Mr. Adaba Barrow who was pronounced winner by the Chairman, Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Alieu Momarr Njai.

“It is believed that this laudable gesture as displayed by President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia marks the end of an era of a ‘sit tight’ leader and hoping it will redefine governance and democracy in the small African country,” Akiyode-Afolabi said.

“TMG feels very passionate that it’s about time Africa eliminated the last vestiges of “sit tight leaders” as witnessed in some of the African countries, particularly Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Uganda and Zimbabwe over the years,” she stated.

She said that the only factor that determines legitimacy and development globally is a peaceful political environment and electoral process where people’s votes count and that with the newly concluded presidential election in the Gambia, there is indeed a new political narrative in Africa, which re-affirms the power of the electorates in elections.

She therefore urged the Ghana Electoral Management Body (EMB) to make adequate plan for a rancour free election by ensuring that peoples’ votes count during the December 7, 2016 presidential election in the country.

“We also appeal to the public and electoral stakeholders most especially political leaders to commit to peace as no drop of the blood of a Ghanaian is worth any political power. TMG cautions that the challenges facing the various polling station with the Special Voters List as presently witnessed in the country should be adequately resolved ahead of the Election Day as we urge security personnel and others involved to remain calm,” the statement reads.

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