Former President Goodluck Jonathan has questioned the legitimacy of the reported military takeover in Guinea-Bissau, insisting that authorities must release the results of Sunday’s presidential election.
Jonathan, who led an international observer mission to the country, became stranded during the unrest but was later evacuated and returned to Nigeria on Thursday.
Speaking to journalists on Friday, the former Nigerian president described what he witnessed and cast doubt on whether the events amounted to a real coup.
He noted that the situation appeared unusual and inconsistent with known patterns of military takeovers in Africa.
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“Specifically, what happened in Guinea-Bissau was not a coup; maybe for want of a better word, I would say it was a ceremonial coup. It is the president, Umaro Embaló, that announced the coup,” he said.
Jonathan explained that before a military officer later addressed the world claiming control, President Embaló had already declared himself arrested and announced a coup — while still using his phone to speak with international media.
He said such conduct was inconsistent with how heads of state are typically handled during coups, recalling his experience as a mediator in Mali during a real military takeover.
“My conviction is that ECOWAS and the African Union must announce the results. They have the results because officials were in all nine regions when the votes were collated. They cannot change those results. They must tally them and let the world know who won that election,” he stated.
Jonathan revealed that the results from all regions had been compiled and were awaiting formal declaration when Embaló abruptly announced a coup.
He also expressed disappointment that Embaló — a former ECOWAS chairman and retired military officer — would be associated with an incident capable of derailing an electoral process he should have been committed to safeguarding.
“He should be the person that can prevent any coup in Guinea-Bissau. I don’t expect a coup that would remove him from office,” he added.