NewStats: 3,263,275 , 8,179,624 topics. Date: Thursday, 05 June 2025 at 10:49 AM 1fda

A Former Argos security guard from North London is set to become the president of Gambia in an unprecedented upset for president Yahya Jammeh who had pledged to rule for a billion years.

President Jammeh, who has ruled the tiny West African nation for 22 years since he staged a coup, conceded defeat to opposition leader Adama Barrow, the chairman of the electoral commission on Friday morning.
"It's really unique that someone who has been ruling this country for so long has accepted defeat," Alieu Momar Njie told reporters.

Gambian state television told AFP that the 51-year-old head of state, who seized power in a coup in 1994, would make a statement later in the day to congratulate Barrow.

Jammeh was running for a fifth term with his Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), while Barrow ran for eight political groups who united for the first time to field a single candidate.
Barrow, a previously unknown businessman, once worked as a security guard at Argos on Holloway Road, North London.

On Thursday, after voting with his wife in the capital, Banjul, President Jammeh predicted a decisive win.
"This will be the biggest landslide in the history of the country," he said, but Barrow correctly predicted Gambians were ready for change after more than 20 years of the Jammeh regime.

"He is not going to be re-elected - his era is finished," Barrow said.

Jammeh came to power in a coup in 1994 and then swept elections in 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011 after a 2002 constitutional amendment removed presidential term limits.

Critics say those elections were not free and fair and accused his regime of corruption and flagrant human rights abuses.

The president's ers praised his efforts to boost economic development in the small country that is dependent on tourism and agriculture.
More than 880,000 voters were ed to participate at more than 1,400 polling stations, where they were asked to place a marble in either a green, silver or purple drum depending upon their choice.
The African Union sent a handful of observers to this country of 1.9 million but there are no observers from the European Union or the West African regional bloc ECOWAS because the Gambian government did not grant them accreditation.
Jammeh said before the vote that he would not allow even peaceful demonstrations, dismissing them as "loopholes that are used to destabilise African governments."
In a statement Thursday, rights groups criticised the circumstances under which the vote took place, especially the cutting of internet services and international calls.

All internet services were blocked at about 8 pm Wednesday night, while messaging services such as Whatsapp and Viber were blocked weeks before the vote, Human Rights Watch said.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/02/gambian-president-yahya-jammeh-concedes-defeat-22-years-rule/

this is the shocker of the century to me. I never expected him to even conduct elections with opposition candidates, not to talk of conceding defeat.

checkout latest events on
www.hoomadeit.com

Dr Jonathan set the precedence, kudos to the hero of democracy.

Damn.....this dude beat me to the post...............anyway, its an eye opener to Buhari and his crew......2019 loading...!

jabberjawz:
Damn.....this dude beat me to the post...............anyway, its an eye opener to Buhari and his crew......!

no vex bros
I still collect FTC
choi
I'm on a roll today

Such is life

I made fp on my 2nd day to nairaland

EmmzyWhite:
Such is life
I made fp on my 2nd day to nairaland

cool

lalasticlala

TippyTop:
Dr Jonathan set the precedence, kudos to the hero of democracy.

Will yhu quyz stop these "Jonathan this Jonathan that"...... What he did is what is expected of a qood leader in sane climes......So I don't think he deserve any form of accolade or unnecessary qlory...

#Peace

noting surprise me any more since donald trump could win the US election..congratulation to him..no dream is too big to achieve if you put your mind to it

God is great

Ha

. . .Barrow ran for eight political groups who united for the first time to field a single candidate.

So, two things were learned from Nigeria

How to concede defeat in African Politics like Oga Jona

And how to merge parties to win like APC

In Patorankin's voice..."nobody wey no fit to make am ooo"

No Difference..
Their situation be like Nigeria own
After military left power
Obasanjo was chosen ...a former military man
umaru musa yaradua :the brother of sheu yaradua a former military man
they tussled power with GEJ
Now Buhari a former military man

Lets Face the Fact Before Nigeria would Progress ,some certain set of people must die

Bushmeat chasing hunter

Birds of the same feathers

This is the kind of President that will wreck and milk that country dry

TippyTop:
Dr Jonathan set the precedence, kudos to the hero of democracy.

Precedence for what please?

GEJ rubbed on the other African President's because of his singular act to conceed defeat in 2015.

because i know yahya jammeh to be a wizard, how can he conceed defeat? but then, he saw a gentle man did it with the giant of Africa then.

Live long GEJ.

aprokomania:

1. The African Union sent a handful of observers to this country of 1.9 million but there are no observers from the European Union or the West African regional bloc ECOWAS because the Gambian government did not grant them accreditation.
2. Critics say those elections were not free and fair and accused his regime of corruption and flagrant human rights abuses.

Did America invite African Union as observers in the US elections? NO
Who critics epp, if American elections were free and fair Hillary Clinton and Jill Stein will not be seeking for a recount of the votes won by Trump.

Africans need to start doing their own things their own way, its a new dawn for the continent

This story just made my day.
Enough of all this democratic mornach in Africa.

» Former Security Guard

ok lets see

James Ibori was also a former cashier in the UK where he also stole their money before Delta people elected him to continue stealing their money.

GEJ setting the path

Such is life....

Hope we wont see cctv of him nicking some items . the ex president shud move to California and start acting horror movies

TippyTop:
Dr Jonathan set the precedence, kudos to the hero of democracy.

Haters of truth will not like this

This change presidents always destroy their country

I pray Ghana don't acrrp change next week

Wow
Yayeh Jameeh kicked out. This is good

aprokomania:

no vex bros
I still collect FTC
choi
I'm on a roll today

Your mate dey strategise how to be meaningful in life you dey here dey roll on top nairaland ftc?
Who did this to you?

I hope Buhari will accept his impending defeat in 2019 when we strike again