Jammeh plotting to use Nigerian lawyers to remain in office
The
 Gambian Bar Association has raised the alarm that President Yahya 
Jammeh was plotting to use Nigerian lawyers to perpetuate himself in 
office after losing the presidential election last week.
The association stated that Jammeh, who rejected his loss of the presidential election  after
 initially accepting the outcome, was planning to bring to Gambia 
judicial officers from Nigeria to thwart the will of the Gambian 
electorates. 
The GBA in a statement published by Sahara reporters on Monday,
 also said it had no confidence in the Gambian Chief Justice Emmanuel 
Fagbenle, a Nigerian, noting that he would take steps to extend the 
illegal regime of Jammeh.
The
 lawyers alleged that Fagbenle was at the forefront of plan to undermine
 the will of the Gambian people, stating that he was quite close to 
Jammeh who had ruled The Gambia for 22 years.
“There
 is a total breakdown of the rule of law and the Chief Justice has been 
known to carry out executive directives in matters of the state 
interest,” the Gambian Bar said, adding that it wished to bring the 
issue to the attention of the Nigerian Government.
The
 GBA explained that there has been no Session of the Supreme Court of 
the Gambia for almost two years, in contravention of the law, noting 
that the only Judge appointed to sit on the Supreme Court is Fagbenle.
The
 lawyers said, “Whenever there is an intention to constitute a Supreme 
Court, he (Fagbenle) and the Attorney General would handpick qualified 
lawyers or judges from commonwealth countries who would visit the Gambia
 for a two-week duration and are appointed by the President for that 
purpose to dispose of cases. 
“It
 is clear that Jammeh did not expect to lose the election and did not 
deem it fit to have a sitting permanent Supreme Court. This has inured 
to his benefit for the last two years during which several cases have 
sat unheard by a Supreme Court. Case in point is the appeal by the 
United Democratic Party against the conviction of its party leaders.”
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