(JollofNews) -A senior partner in the Gambia’s opposition coalition, Mai Ahmad Fatty, Wednesday said they have received information about an alleged plot being hatched by some elements in the regime of Yahya Jammeh to kill one or two members of the coalition.
Mr Fatty did not reveal any details about the plot but said Mr Jammeh wants to use the murder of the opposition figures as a pretext to declare a state of emergency in the small West African nation.
Writing on his Facebook page, Mr Fatty said: “Word is out regarding the plan to shoot to death one or two Coalition leaders, as a pretext to declare a state of emergency. Advice to Gambians : do not respond to provocation. Your Nation has changed for the good. The New Gambia is here to stay.”
Mr Fatty’s remarks came in the wake of a story posted by a fake news website, Skytrendnews, that President-elect Adama Barrow 51, was killed by unknown assailants in the Gambian capital, Banjul.
According to the website, the assailant overpowered Mr Barrow’s private security guards, leaving two of the guards dead and other six injured from gunshots.
Mr Barrow, the surprised winner of last month’s presidential election, is due to be sworn-in on January 19th but President Yahya Jammeh has rejected the results and is refusing to step down.
The dispute over the election results has raised tensions in the region, with both neighbouring countries and international powers urging Mr Jammeh to step down
And as the political crisis deepens, leaders of the West African regional grouping have authorised a so-called Ecowas Standby Force (ESF) to intervene militarily if Mr Jammeh refuses to give up power when his mandate expires on January 18.
But as the deadline nears, Mr Jammeh has secured the backing of the Gambian army, is standing his ground and has vowed to fight off any foreign invasion.