Adama Barrow must avoid political vindictiveness - Dr Antwi Danso

By Godwill Arthur-Mensah, GNA
Accra, Jan. 21, GNA - Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso, the Director of Academic Affairs at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, says the decision by the embattled Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh, to step down is good for himself and the country.

He said this would pave the way for peaceful and smooth transfer of political power.

Dr Antwi-Danso, also the Acting Executive Director of the Centre for Local Governance and Advocacy, advised Yahya Jammeh to stay away from the political administration of The Gambia and avoid any attempt to interfere through a coup d'état since he would pay dearly if he attempted to do so.

He tasked the new Gambian leader, Adama Barrow, to avoid perpetuating any political vengeance or act of vindictiveness against his political opponents because that could be a very dangerous trajectory to pursue, adding 'he should make sure his actions and inactions are geared towards reconciling the nation'.

Dr Antwi-Danso told the Ghana News Agency in an interview on Saturday that President Adama Barrow could seek assistance from ECOWAS so that the troops that went to the country to pressurize Jammeh to step down would stay there for some time until a successful swearing-in and smooth transfer of power had been realised.

He also admonished President Barrow to ensure an inclusive-government by appointing members of other political parties into his government as a show of solidarity and a path towards national unity as he attempts to build a strong democratic culture underpinned by the sovereignty of the people and the rule of law.

He urged him to build strong and autonomous state institutions with the necessary human resource and logistics in order to solidify the democratic credentials of the country that could stand the test of time.

According to a BBC report, the embattled Yahya Jammeh declared on Friday, January 20, that he had decided to step down in a televised address because he did not want any single drop of blood to be shed.

Mr Jammeh had ruled The Gambia for 22 years after taking political power in a bloodless coup in 1994, but he was defeated in the December 1, 2016 elections by the leader of the Opposition Coalition, Adama Barrow.

Although he initially conceded defeat, he changed his mind a week later claiming there were election irregularities and filed a motion at the country's Supreme Court in an attempt to annul the election results.

He also tabled a resolution before Parliament which was approved to extend his stay in power for the next 90 days and declared a state of emergency.

However, Heads of State from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional political body, intervened and sent a mediation team to settle the impasse and urged him to step down but all those efforts proved fruitless.

ECOWAS, therefore, sent troops from Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal to that country to pressurise him to step down.

GNA