Jammeh’s party challenges election result in court after AU leaders’ visit

The party of Yahya Jammeh, president of Gambia, on Tuesday filed a petition at the supreme court to challenge his defeat in the December 1 election, as West African leaders failed to reach a deal that would see him accept the poll result and end a festering political crisis.

The result of the December 1 polls should be annulled, the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) said in a document handed to the registrar of the supreme court in the capital, Banjul.

The petition was filed after an African Union (AU) delegation met with Jammeh, hoping to persuade him to hand over power to President-elect Adama Barrow.

Earlier on Tuesday, security forces blocked the entrance to the electoral commission in Banjul, while the chief of defence staff vowed to remain loyal to Jammeh, indicating that the country’s military would help him stay in power.

Last week, Jammeh announced his intention to challenge the election results, even though he had earlier conceded the election to Barrow.

The 51-year-old, who has ruled the West African country for 22 years, deployed heavily-armed military and police to the streets of the capital.