Jammeh to ECOWAS leaders: Stop wasting your time, I won’t step down; Nigerian Army denies plan to attack Gambia

President Yahya Jammeh on Thursday in Banjul reiterated his stand that he would not step down as Gambian leader when his mandate ends on Wednesday.
The information ministry said in a statement read on national television that Jammeh was planning to remain in office until the Supreme Court decides on a petition he filed.
Jammeh is challenging the result of the December 1, 2016 presidential election he lost to Adama Barrow.
Barrow, a former real estate agent who was little known before he announced his candidacy, meanwhile has also reiterated he is planning to take office on January 19, as scheduled.
Earlier this week, Gambia’s dysfunctional Supreme Court adjourned hearing Jammeh’s petition to Monday, since only one of a required minimum of five judges were present.
Experts, however, believe it will be highly unlikely that four additional judges will be present on Monday.
This is because the Supreme Court has not been operational since Jammeh fired several of the court’s judges in mid-2016.
All other eligible Court of Appeal judges left the country after the December election.
Observers fear that delays to the planned hand-over of power could lead to violence as Gambia has been in a political lockdown since Jammeh refused to accept the result.
Some West African leaders, including Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, are expected to arrive in Gambia to convince Jammeh to respect the constitution and hand over the presidency.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has denied an online report that it is planning to attack The Gambia to remove the country’s President Yaya Jammeh from office.
The denial is contained in a statement on Thursday in Abuja by Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman, the Director, Army Public Relations.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Nigerian Army is not planning to attack any country.
“The attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to a publication by Premium Times online news medium titled “EXCLUSIVE: Nigeria raises troops for Gambia, ready to remove Yahya Jammeh”.
“This is not true.
“Consequently, Nigerian Army wishes to disassociate itself from such false information that exists only in the figment of the imagination of the medium.
“It should be noted that such reckless and unprofessional conduct is not expected of any reputable and responsible news medium as it is inimical to national security,” Usman said.
He said that at “no time or place Nigerian Army disclosed such information to the medium. If there is any, we challenge them to name the officer or soldier that gave them such information and when.”
The army spokesman noted that the publication apart from being false in its entirety, was unethical and capable of endangering the lives of Nigerians in diaspora.
“The medium is please requested to always clarify such matters affecting national security and diplomatic issues that may endanger the safety and security of Nigerians abroad to avoid such misleading and embarrassing publication.”