“The rule of fear has been banished from Gambia for good. To all of you forced by political circumstances to flee our country, you now have the liberty to return home,” These were the clear sentiment of President Adama Barrow, the newly elected President of the Republic of Gambia. On Saturday 10th January 2016, something happened.
The continent of Africa had just gone through a re-birth, a new experience. One of its Goliaths’ fell, he lost the battle, his kingdom, empire and reign ended just like that. It’s gone.
Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh, the traditional (witch) doctor, HIV AIDS healer, the prophet lost his long dictatorial rule in Gambia. Who cares, not even the Gambians, maybe Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatoguinean, José Eduardo dos Santos of Angolan, Paul Barthélemy Biya’a bi Mvondo of Cameroonian and Robert Gabriel Mugabe of Zimbabwe.
On the same Saturday, the people of Gambia dance with joy, celebrated in tears when they heard that their self-proclaimed god, the eternal ruler flew into exile in Equatorial Guinea for fear for his own life. This marked the end of his 23 year ironic rule in Gambia ushering in a new error, a new dawn for the Gambian people who have live in a democratic (political) darkness for years. The error of Adama Barrow has just begun.
I must allude to the common saying in the village that “a dying horse has some kicks,” they say…’those are the kicks of the dying horse.’ This saying proved relevant in the last days of Jemus Junkung Jammeh. The horse had known his days are numbered.
It should be noted that immediately after losing election, he went live on air and accepted the defeat congratulating the newly elected president, However, almost immediately, Jemus reversed his position and said he will not accept the result. I guess gods must had visited him and spoke with him in a dream. Jemus claimed that there was unprecedented and extraordinary amount of foreign interference in a December 1 presidential vote.
He as well cited the common phrase given by any other African dictators/ purported leaders as we are used to here in Kenya that…Gambia is a sovereign state and so the internal affairs of The Gambia and the unwarranted hostile atmosphere threatening the sovereignty, peace, security and stability of the country will never be allowed. One may then wonder and ask, why would Religious/Spiritual leaders (external interference in the internal affairs of the body) struggle to remove demons from a demon possessed person/body yet the demon too has a right to live, or maybe, if the earth is a sovereign, why then did God sent Christ to take it away from Arch Angel, Lucifer.
The horse then moved to the Supreme Court where he lodged a challenge to the election result and filed a fresh injunction to prevent the chief justice from swearing Barrow into office. He seemed to had forgotten some days ago, he had expel away supreme court judges and so there were not enough number judges to make a ruling. The Supreme Court reminded him that it did not have a full bench, and the extra judges needed to hear the case were not available.
Having failed to have his interest me by the Gambian Supreme Court, Jemus Junkung declared a state of emergency, just two days before he was to cede power after losing elections last month. Maybe if it were in Kenya, the Kenyan tribal demigods would have resorted back to their desperate, misled tribes mate and tell them…our tribe is being done away with. In response, the hungry and angry misled tribes’ mates would start burning tires on the roads; break into shops belonging to other tribes and shout slogan in praise of their dearth rich tribal gods.
The horse did not stop from kicking and the gods did not stop from giving new visions to Jammeh. Again, Jemus Junkung engineered a parliamentary vote to extend his presidency by three months. He falsely (but wisely) claimed this would prevent a power vacuum while the Supreme Court considered a legal challenge he has submitted over the election result. With all these, the expiry date given to him remained at midnight Wednesday. In the history of the world, very few people or organizations have ever come out clearly to stop bad leaders such as Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh, and all the likes. Most, it was left for the developed world led by the super power, United States. In Africa, none could even think of doing that because almost all sailed in the same boat. For instance, how would Robert Mugabe correct or advice Museveni on how to govern or how can Obiang rebuke Biya of bad governance.
There has risen in the continent of Africa a biting dog, a fearless lion; a focus angle, a big loving brother in the name of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). This group of many countries has chosen to reclaim back Africa and give guidance and direction to the continent drained down by the likes of Jammeh. They have taken a tough way, they are doing it. ECOWAS led by its leader Marcel de Souza, head of the ECOWAS commission not only spoke, they acted and acted fast. de Souza reminded all ECOWAS members that “If something like that (not accepting poll results) happens in the same way in another ECOWAS country, it will be the same treatment,”
To all the remaining friends of Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh, please take note: It is not human to pretend to take power to change the lives of people and then steal from them. the gods must judge you. You cannot go free, not again in Africa.We dance
