By Levinus Nwabughiogu

ABUJA-The Presidency yesterday stated that President Muhammadu Buhari traveled to Banjul, capital of The Gambia to meet with the country’s President, Yahya Jammeh, who lost the presidential election penultimate week.

Vanguard had reported that the President would take a trip to the country.

In a statement, the presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina stated the Nigerian leader, who arrived Banjul together with President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, the current Chairperson of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, and President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra-Leone, were received at the airport by Gambia’s Vice-President, Isatou Njie-Saidy.

Similarly, out-going President of Ghana, John Mahama, who had earlier arrived Banjul, expectedly joined the other West African leaders to meet President Jammeh at the CoCo Ocean Resort and Spa, Banjul.

President Jammeh had earlier conceded defeat in the election, after a 22-year rule, but recanted a week later, asking for fresh polls to be conducted by a “god-fearing and independent electoral commission.”

President Buhari and the ECOWAS leaders were expected to discuss the the political developments in The Gambia with President Jammeh, and would insist on the “sanctity of the electoral process, and respect for the wishes of the people.”

They would also “ask their host to respect the Constitution of his own country, and maintain the inviolability of an electoral process that had been concluded, and in which he had admitted defeat, and congratulated his main challenger.”

The statement added that the team was scheduled to meet the President-elect, Adama Barrow.

President Buhari was expected back in Abuja the same yesterday after the meeting.