President Muhammadu Buhari has said the leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) adopted strong-arm tactics to get former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh out of office.
President Buhari stated this when he received the visiting Gambian President, Mr. Adama Barrow, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, adding that ECOWAS had no option left than using the unpopular tactics.
While expressing disappointment on the activities of former Gambia’s president, He disclosed “We had to go through those actions because it was the only option for Nigeria and ECOWAS,’’ saying that the former President refused to accept the outcome of the election which was widely accepted as credible in spite of all entreaties.
According to Buhari “We believe in multi-party democracy. In Africa, it is absolutely necessary but for the system to work and one to come out of it clean, there is the need for patience”.
President Buhari also stated that true democracy will quicken the development of African as a continent. He urged the Gambian leader to uphold the legacy of free and fair elections, which he described as the biggest guarantee for democracy.
