Former President Goodluck Jonathan has safely returned to Nigeria after leaving Guinea-Bissau with the heads of the African Union Election Observation Mission, the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission, and the West African Elders Forum. He expressed concern over the military coup carried out by the country’s armed forces.
The Nigerian Government also condemned the development, describing it as an unconstitutional takeover that endangers stability in West Africa. President Bola Tinubu joined other West African leaders in an emergency virtual summit yesterday to address the crisis.
Guinea-Bissau has sworn in Army General Horta N’Tam as a one-year transitional head of state. Before the coup, he served as head of the presidential guard. Jonathan, who travelled as part of a joint AU-ECOWAS observer mission, was initially unable to leave when the military shut all borders and imposed a curfew.
Nigeria’s House of Representatives had earlier urged the Federal Government to act immediately to secure Jonathan’s safe return.
The coup occurred after both incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias claimed victory in Sunday’s presidential election, despite official results not yet being released. The outcome was expected to be announced yesterday.
The joint observer missions, through Filipe Nyusi, Issifu Kamara, and Jonathan, condemned the disruption, noting that the voting process had been peaceful, orderly, and professionally conducted.
They expressed “deep concern” over the military intervention, especially after both leading candidates had assured them of their readiness to accept the people’s choice.
They described the coup as a clear attempt to derail democratic progress and called on the AU and ECOWAS to restore constitutional order. They also demanded the immediate release of top officials arrested by the military, including those overseeing the electoral process.
Nigeria, in a statement by Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa, rejected the coup entirely, saying it undermines democracy and poses a threat to regional peace. The government demanded the immediate restoration of constitutional authority and the release of all detained individuals.
Ebienfa confirmed Jonathan’s safe evacuation yesterday, assuring that he was “very safe and out of Guinea-Bissau.”
Some civil society groups in Guinea-Bissau accused the ousted President, Umaro Embaló, of staging the coup with military support to prevent the release of election results if he lost.
The Popular Front coalition alleged the move was intended to stop the announcement of the outcome.
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