There is no denying that our beloved nation is going through a challenging period.
And as believers we should accept that God will test his servants now and then.
Since the December 1st, 2016 elections, and indeed even before and during the campaign, we all have been tested as a nation and we can thank the Almighty Allah first and foremost, and also our culture and traditions and faith as a believeing, tolerating and forgiving people, that despite everything that has happened we have maintained our peace, security and good relations.
As the president and a citizen, I am very grateful to all Gambians, and especially the Gambians resident in the country, our security services, and our religious leaders, the elders, women and the youth.
As the whole world knows, being the candidate for the APRC party for the presidential elections, my party and I rejected the last results announced by IEC on December 5th, 2016 because not only was it full of arithmetic errors and anomalies, it also could not be credibly explained, and we have challenged the results at the Supreme Court as provided by the constitution and the electoral act.
Fellow Gambians, on December 2nd, 2016 the IEC announced a set of results which I accepted wholeheartedly in good faith, but on December 5th, 2016 the IEC reversed and gave a new set of results and the results statement itself gave enough grounds for my party and I to suspect them.
The second IEC results stated figures were transposed, when actually it had the 63,000 votes for Bassé administrative area wrongly added to the votes of one candidate, who is Mr Adama Barrow.
in the so-called correction the statement from the IEC falsely claims this amount was added to all candidates, but this amount was only subtracted to Barrow which took his total to just over 199,000 and then his vote from Bassé was doubly counted to give him the lead with 223,000 votes.
Fellow Gambians, none the less, only the Supreme Court can review or challenge and only the Supreme Court can declare anyone president. And so I ask, each and every one of us, to respect the Supreme law of the Republic and await the Supreme Court review and ruling on the election results.
Fellow Gambians, our review and investigations have revealed an unprecedented level of foreign interference in our elections and internal affairs and also a sustained smear campaign, propaganda and misinformation.
Even though there is no single fatality or mortality, we have seen the UN Security Council, the African Union and ECOWAS take unprecedented and hasty resolutions against our republic and constitution, but we have also had the support of good people all over the world who have started to see the truth and understand that the Gambia is a sovereign republic.
Our constitution is the Supreme Law and does not allow any organisation, or law or treaty to supersede it, as per section 4 on supremacy of the constitution and section 79 subsection 2 that the constitution does not allow us to enter any engagement, agreement or treaty that derogates the supremacy of the constitution.
As the president and commander in chief of our armed and security forces, and a citizen and in total obedience to my oath of office I will take all possible steps to defend our constitution, as per subsection 6(2) which makes it the duty of all citizens to defend our constitution.
Even where we may disagree, I believe we can ask Gambians to come together to resolve this and any other matter without undue external interference.
Fellow Gambians, cabinet sat and will continue to sit and liaise with the national assembly and take all constitutional measures to ensure the supremacy of rule of law and constitution in the next few days.
I assure everyone, that as a Gambian, a Muslim, and a family man, no foreigner can love this country and hold its highest interests to heart more than myself and the majority of Gambian people, so I will be taking all possible steps within the constitution and in my conscience to resolve this sad impasse.
I hereby appoint the Secretary-General as mediator general for this trying period and mandate him to: 1) ensure the public and civil service continue to work proficiently without fear or favour in an apolitical manner in the service of the nation; 2) meet with all stakeholders and prepare meetings so that all parties can be heard, and resolve any mistrust and issues amongst ourselves; 3) to work with Minister of Justice and the National Assembly to draft general amnesty bill to confirm and ensure that there is no witchhunt to ensure climate of confidence and security within constitutional mandate.
I hereby issue an executive order to that effect that nobody be arrested or prosecuted due to acts or omissions in pre and post-electoral period, effective from November 1st, 2016 to January 31st, 2017.
Fellow Gambians, as the whole world has seen, we continue as a people to exhibit the highest degree of fraternity and despite the heated passions we have maintained the highest degree the virtues of patience, tolerance and mutual respect across ethnic and faith lines and for that I personally thank the Almighty Allah and all of you.
I ask all Gambians to forgive each other, especially us the political class, and ask that we all continue to work together to keep and consolidate peace and harmony in our beloved country.
I ask all Gambians and all residents in The Gambia to go about their business in peace and security and assure you that inshallah all will be well and this will soon be resolved in peace.
I thank all my brother and sister presidents from ECOWAS, OIC, AU and the UN for their kind words and support to the Gambia, even if some were mistaken, and also assure them that we Gambians have not gotten here without learning to live and let live among ourselves.
