TheCable

The house of representatives wants President Muhammadu Buhari to offer President Yahya Jammeh asylum as a way of ending the political instability in Gambia.

After the election of December 1, Jammeh congratulated Barrow but later turned around to say that he would not hand over power.

Buhari has since stepped in as an ECOWAS mediator, leading other West African leaders to persuade Jammeh to hand over.

The decision of the house was sequel to a motion entitled, ‘Call to offer a Safe Haven to President Yahya Jammeh as part of Nigeria’s Mediation Initiative for the Gambia’, sponsored by Sani Zorro, a legislator from Adamawa state.

While moving the motion on the floor of the house, Zorro said there was need to save Gambia from descending into chaos.

“The clock is ticking fast for the survival of democracy in the country and there is therefore the need to intensify preventive diplomacy to save the Gambia from descending into chaos with dire consequences for the west African sub-region, as a result of a likely armed conflict and mass displacement of persons,” he said.

The legislator said the house should support asylum for Jammeh because of “Nigeria’s policy of extending safe-haven status to endangered African leaders as part of dispute settlement”.

The house adopted the motion when it was put to a voice vote by Yakubu Dogara, the speaker.