President Muhammadu Buhari will today host four other West African leaders to a meeting aimed at avoiding violence and preserving democracy in The Gambia. 

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

The presidential spokesman said this was in furtherance of President Buhari's mandate as mediator in the political impasse in The Gambia.

Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh, had refused to accept defeat in the last month’s election after he had initially accepted his loss in the December 1 election, but later changed his stance and vowed to cling on to power.

Shehu said today's meeting in Abuja is following the one in Accra on the sidelines of the inauguration of Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Ado where the sub-region's leaders expressed readiness to continue the pursuit of dialogue with the leaders of The Gambia.

Daily Trust