Nigerian lower house moves to offer Gambia's Jammeh asylum, lawmakers say

FILE PHOTO Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh attends the plenary session of the Africa-South America Summit on Margarita Island September 27, 2009. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's lower house voted on Thursday to offer Gambian President Yahya Jammeh asylum if he steps down, lawmakers said. The House of Representatives approved a motion to authorise President Muhammadu Buhari to offer Jammeh asylum if he handed over power to Adama Barrow, who won Gambia's Dec 1 elections. Buhari is due to travel with other West African leaders to Gambia on Friday to persuade Jammeh to accept the election results, which he has rejected so far. (Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Larry King)