Tinubu’s plane ferries Jammeh to exile

Bola Tinubu

Fifty days after he lost at tbe ballot, former Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh, relinquished power on Saturday, January 21, 2017 and left the country in an aeroplane said to belong to former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

It was learnt that Tinubu’s gesture was to further consolidate President Muhammadu Buhari-led Economic Community of Africa (ECOWAS)’s reconciliatory moves in The Gambia.

It was also a move aimed at smoothening the return of  President Adama Barrow to The Gambia, to enable him assume office, one of the cardinal demands of ECOWAS for which several serving and former heads of state shuttled the country before Jammeh’s tenure lapsed on January 19.

Daily Sun gathered that Tinubu allowed his plane ferry Jammeh out of the country, on the grounds that it will facilitate the former leader’s quick exit, and lead to the restoration of peace and democracy in The Gambia.

It was gathered that Tinubu’s VP-CBT Falcon jet, which had been with Guinean President Alpa Conde for days, was moved to Banjul, the Gambia  capital, to ferry Jammeh out of the country, after a two-day stalemate on transfer of power.

When Jammeh refused to   relinquish power, President Conde and Mauritania’s President, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz spent much of Friday in Banjul, where they persuaded him to leave contry.

After convincing him, on Saturday night, it was gathered that the plane took off for Guinea, with Jammeh, his family and Conde on board.

Jammeh and family  where flown to Conakry, Guinea from where they are expected to leave for Equitorial Guinea, where the former president would be on exile.

Jammeh was reportedly driven out of the State House in Banjul on Saturday in company of his mother, wife, Zainab, his son, Mohammed and President Conde.

Meanwhile, Nigerian troops deployed to The Gambia, as part of the Economic Of West Africa States Military Intervention in Gambia (ECOMIG), will remain in that country for sometime.

Daily Sun gathered that the Nigerian military contingent, comprising personnel of the Army, Navy and Air Force, are expected to stay in The Gambia, until things fully stabilise in the country.

Specifically, the troops are to ensure Barrow’s smooth entry any time this week.

This will, however, be decided by the heads and government of the Economic Countries of West Africa States (ECOWAS).

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Director of Defence Information, Brigadier-General Abubakar Rabe and the Director of Information and Public Relations of the Nigerian Air Force, Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa, confirmed this in separate telephone interviews with Daily Sun, in Abuja, yesterday.

Rabe noted that the mandate given to the ECOMIG includes upholding the mandate of the December election, safeguarding the life of the new president and that of his family, ensuring peace and stability in the region as well as protecting the lives and property of all Gambians, among others. He said the use of force would no longer be necessary since Jammeh played by the rule.  He, however, said the former president’s decision to go on exile, notwithstanding, it would be suicidal for the troops to return to their various countries now as anything could happen.

“The whole idea is to ensure they uphold the results of the elections, safeguard the president elect and his family,

On his part, Famuyiwa, said the decision of the Gambian troops not to go to war with the ECOWAS, standby force saved the country from military invasion.

Famuyiwa disclosed that the troops are expected to escort President Barrow into The Gambia this week.

(The Sun)