The Gambia: W/African leaders meet in Abuja Yahaya Jammeh Monday

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari will on Monday host a meeting of four West African leaders in furtherance of his mandate as mediator over The Gambia impasse with a view to

avoiding violence and preserving democracy in the country.

A statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the president on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Sunday, recalled that Buhari and the immediate past President of Ghana, John Mahama as mediator and co-mediator respectively, have also been mandated by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to ensure the safety of the President-elect, Adama Barrow and ensure a peaceful handover of power on January19.

The statement said the meeting in Abuja is following the one in Accra on the sidelines of the inauguration of that country’s President, which expressed the readiness of the leaders of the sub-region to continue the pursuit of dialogue with the leaders of The Gambia.

Those expected at the meeting include Presidents of Liberia and Senegal, the Vice President of Sierra Leone and immediate past President of Ghana, Mahama.