(JollofNews) – A lawyer who represented Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh in his attempt to overturn the results of last month’s presidential election at the Supreme Court has called on him to relinquish power in the interest of peace and love for Gambians.
Edward Anthony Gomez who fled the Gambia into neighbouring Senegal after mounting fear and rapidly increasing tension, said Mr Jammeh should accept that everything except God’s Kingdom, comes to an end and should not allow his legacy to be described as one where “pen of the sword dipped in innocent blood writes its history on the rough page of tyranny”.
In a letter to Mr Jammeh, Mr Gomez wrote: “On Tuesday 17th January 2017, my son and I took a crucial decision to seek sanctuary in the sister Republic of Senegal. This was found necessary due to the mounting fear and rapidly increasing tension at every passing moment.
The general perception is that after midnight on 18th January 2017, the mandate of President Yahya Jammeh would expire and President-elect Mr Adama Barrow would be sworn-in as president, in line with the dictates of our constitution. Any attempt to interrupt this ceremony, it is clearly understood, opens the Gambia to attack from Ecowas forces.
As a legal practitioner representing President Jammeh and the APRC the party in the ongoing petition filed on his behalf at the Supreme Court of the Gambia, I have to admit that I was working under tremendous pressure and coercion. All the lawyers with established practices in the Gambia refused to be associated with the said petition. As a retainer for the ruling APRC party, I could not refuse the brief on professional grounds, despite ,my apprehension.
Having fortunately eluded the 24 hour military security around me and my family, I managed to arrive in Senegal where I now gained safety, respite and mental stability. In my present situation, I humbly and respectfully advise President Jammeh as the champion of peace he has been known to be to peacefully step aside in the interest of peace and safety of the Gambian people.
Everything, except God’s Kingdom, comes to an end. I advocate for a peaceful end rather than a violent and gruesome end. Please in the name of Most Merciful God do not allow your legacy to be described as one where “pen of the sword dipped in innocent blood writes its history on the rough page of tyranny”.
Remember, your Excellency, that life is short and we take nothing with us at the end of it. Our reward lies in our faithful worship and good deeds.
‘Vox populi est vox dei.’ The voice of the people is the voice of God. Please step aside in the interest of peace and love of your compatriots.”
Professional !!!!
@Mr. Gomez= I have been expecting this from you. I understand you must have been under pressure as you stated.
May God the Almighty continue to bless The Gambia. May you all be blessed. When we had our war in Suerra Leone, Our sanctuary was The Gambia. I have been tearful at every prayer I said for you because I know what we experienced. For you to experience anything like what we went through, I asked God to cancel and restore the peace, but also punish the instigators of war. Gambia is our adopted country pray for the Grace of God to spread over and across the land thereof.
I love you all in the name of the Almighty.
The penny just dropped for this lawyer on the last day of Yaya jammeh. I don’t buy his excuse at all, he could have done this a week ago if he is so passionate and believe in God and Gambians. It is all nonsense claiming he was under pressure, the line of job he was doing does not give him the right to held or side with a dictator holding our country at ransom. Now he is safe too with his family’ wanting Gambians to buy his story so we can empathise with him. Same on you. There were other political members and judges who don’t side with Yaya, why because the believed in justice and fairness that’s why they jump the ship before push. I hope you sleep well tonight with your consience. God bless our motherland and thanks to ecowas for the swift response in making sense to Yaya and his cohorts.
You are very instrumental to the chaos. No one will give you credit because you where trying to defend the defendless at the expense of more than 1 million people. You are behind the mass exodus of Gambian. Shame on you. Now you put our people in mess and escape with your family. Evil.
This idiot you be apologising to the Gambian people and seek our forgiveness instead of trying to justify his actions over the past few weeks. Any pressure he claims to be under cannot be compared to the stress both mental and physical, and anxiety his selfishness has caused the populace. If he thinks that his actions will be easily brushed aside, then he is has a big shock in wait for him. His claim of being an APRC retainer and therefore unable to refuse the brief is nonsense. His primary duty to the APRC is to give sound legal advice, which I doubt he did. The APRC should sue him for giving them misleading legal advice. Why didn’t he abscond to Senegal like he did now?
I find nobody can truly judge his actions without understanding the circumstances of which he had been. So, honestly you can’t prove anything without that basic understanding. why didn’t he abscond earlier is a good question, but a bad proving point since neither you nor I know indeed know why.
We don’t believe you Edward Gomez. You are nothing but an enabler of atrocities, arrests and detentions of innocent Gambians. You went to court defending the abrogation of our constitution. Your acts defending the indefensible, fighting against the will of the Gambian people, filing injunctions to stop the swearing in of Barrow in office, who was democratically elected by the people of the Gambia is treachery and We Gambian people will look at you forever as a traitor. You betrayed the people of the Gambia in their hour of need and now betrayed Jammeh when you know full well that he is about to fall in disgrace. You are nobody’s friend but your own. You are a selfish man who sold his soul to the devil, only to abandon him to safe your own skin. Shame on you and we Gambians take no justifiable excuse from your sinned mouth to exonerate you. Thousands of our people fled into neighbouring countries because of the uncertainties created by people including yourself Gomez in our courts to fervent unrest. Live now,hope not in peace till the people who had to leave their beloved country,their houses, their compounds as a result of your illegal actions in our courts are able to return in peace and live in peace.
I am a South African writting from my motherland.
I appreciated xour video in Decemmber when you graciously accepted defeated. I helped spread the video under the theme “Africa has matured”
Frankly speaking I am disaapointed by the developments in your country – Gambia.
THE THING TO DO NOW THAT YOU AS THE APRC LAWYER IS ACTUALLY EXPLAIN THE FULL LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS OF
1) ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
2) SOLDIERS, POLICE, NIA OBEYING ORDERS OF JAMMEH WHO IS NOW AN INSURGENT
THE FACT THAT YOU “ACTED UNDER DURESS” WHEN YOU MADE CERTAIN PRONOUNCEMENTS ON THE LEGALITY OF JAMMEH AND OTHERS ACTIONS NOW MAKE IT IMPERATIVE THAT YOU EXPLAIN THE FULL STANCE OF THE LAW
NOW SEEMS “LEGAL” ROUTE AND FILINGS ARE NOT ONLY NOT WORTH THE PAPER THEY WRITTEN ON BUT ARE WORTH LESS THAN USED TOILET PAPER.
THE THING TO DO NOW THAT YOU AS THE APRC LAWYER IS ACTUALLY EXPLAIN THE FULL LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS OF
1) ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
2) SOLDIERS, POLICE, NIA OBEYING ORDERS OF JAMMEH WHO IS NOW AN INSURGENT
THE FACT THAT YOU “ACTED UNDER DURESS” WHEN YOU MADE CERTAIN PRONOUNCEMENTS ON THE LEGALITY OF JAMMEH AND OTHERS ACTIONS NOW MAKE IT IMPERATIVE THAT YOU EXPLAIN THE FULL STANCE OF THE LAW
His intergrity is very questionable, and has always believed Mr Jammeh will frighten his opponents into a power sharing deal and remain president which has become a pattern of African dictators.
Times are changing and dictatorship is no more fashionable, this lawyer should bow his head in shame for having encouraged this heinous crime against the people of Gambia.
Gambia do not deserve all it is going through so let Jammeh give up and handover the sit to the elected new President Adama Barrow. we know this country as a peaceful country the smiling coast of Africa. I think Anthony adoward Gomez is after the money but he is not for the APRC and his excellent the out going President Yaya Jammeh.He should pray and ask God and the Gambian people to forgive him of taking part in a Case that is in godly,let’ all Gambians and none gambia people who want to see a better gambia today and tomorrow pray for peace and stability of our beloved country.May The Almighty God hear the cry of his people in the Land the nation of the gambia.from Albert Njie Brikama Daruhairu west Africa mission (wam).
I am not a Gambian but I understands the annoyance of everybody over Barr. Gomez, sequels to what he said, he explained he was able to escape the security personnel assigned to him and his family, so maybe he had been nurturing the idea of absconding for a long time but no space for him to flee. He may also be defending Yahya Jahmmeh the virus due to fear.
“Vox populi est vox dei” Good bye Yaya Jammeh! you have contributed your quota to mother Gambia for 22 years. if you have any good to offer Gambians i think 22 years is enough to exhaust your vision. it over now the good people of Gambia has spoken, “Vox populi est vox dei” the voice of the People is the voice of God! Peace Shalom! Well done lawyer Gomez, but i think this decision was long overdue!