The Gambian President-elect Adama Barrow says Jammeh should not seek asylum as Nigerian Reps say he can stay in Nigeria

The winner of December's presidential election in The Gambia says there is no need for President Yahya Jammeh to seek asylum and he is confident direct talks can solve the crisis. Adama Barrow told the BBC he was confident he would be sworn in next week despite his rival's refusal to give up power.

Nigeria House of Representatives yesterday voted to offer Mr Jammeh asylum to help negotiations.

Nigeria should consider giving asylum to The Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh as a way of ending the political crisis in his country, lawmakers said on Thursday.

A motion passed in the House of Reps gave members' backing to regional efforts to resolve the dispute, sparked by Jammeh's refusal to accept election results.