Liberia is enraged after outgoing president of the Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, who has been trying to cling to power, broadcast a private conversation he had with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, begging her to prevail on President Buhari and other ECOWAS members to allow the judges to travel to Banjul and rule on his case.
Jammeh, who lost the December 1 Presidential election to Adama Barrow, first conceded defeat, but later changed his mind citing some irregularities.
His turnaround angered many people, including the West African regional body, known by its acronym ECOWAS. The body threatened military action if Jammeh refuses to hand power over on January 19 when his mandate runs out.
But the strongman of the Gambia, who has been in power for 22 years, went to court challenging the results. But he suffered setback after setback.
He filed a petition in court challenging the result and an injunction restraining Barrow from being sworn into office next Thursday.
But the judges from Nigeria and Sierra Leone were unable to travel to the capital Banjul to hear his case, prompting him to make the phone call to Sirleaf.
He said Sirleaf should prevail on other ECOWAS members to facilitate the movement of judges to the Gambia.
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Gambia Chief Justice Emmanuel Fagbenle had adjourned a hearing of Jammeh’s election petition to Monday.
Gambia’s presidency recorded the conversation with Sirleaf and leaked the tape to state broadcast network, GRTS.
A spokesperson for Mrs. Johnson Sirleaf said President Jammeh’s action is irresponsible.
“It is irresponsible for a sitting president to do this kind of thing… but I can’t say what the president [Ellen Johnson Sirleaf] would do. His [Jammeh’s] action is very wanting for choosing to record the conversation and distributing it,” a spokesperson for Liberia’s President Johnson Sirleaf told WADR.