Former President Goodluck Jonathan says the military intervention in Guinea-Bissau’s political crisis was “a ceremonial coup” and insists that the election results be announced.
The former president was in Guinea-Bissau as head of the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission to monitor the country’s presidential and legislative elections held last Sunday.
BACKGROUND
On Monday, President Umaro Embaló, who was seeking re-election, and Fernando Dias, his key challenger, each declared victory while official results had not been announced by the electoral commission.
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Both camps insisted that their candidates had crossed the 50 percent threshold required to win outright.
Shortly afterwards, soldiers seized control of key institutions, suspended the electoral process and announced that they would administer the state “until further notice”.
The episode followed an earlier claim by the government that it had averted a coup attempt ahead of the campaign season.
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Mamadu Ture, deputy chief of staff, had accused Daba Nawalna, a brigadier-general and head of a military training centre, of masterminding the alleged plot.
However, Embaló later told Jeune Afrique, a French-language weekly news magazine, that he had been arrested in his office at the presidential palace at about 1pm.
He said the soldiers did not use force and described the incident as a coup.
Following the takeover, there were reports that Jonathan and other members of the election observation team were stranded in the country.
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On Thursday night, the former president was evacuated from Guinea-Bissau and returned to Nigeria.
‘WHO IS FOOLING WHO?’
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Friday, Jonathan said no military takeover allows a sitting head of state to communicate freely with the media while claiming to be in custody.
He said his concern stems from his long-standing engagement with Guinea-Bissau’s political stabilisation, dating back to his time as Nigeria’s president and as chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
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The former Nigerian president said he would not categorise the incident as a conventional coup.
“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, President Umaro Embaló, that announced the coup,” he said.
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“Before later, a military man came up to address the world that they were in charge of everywhere. Embaló had already announced the coup, which is strange.
“Not only announcing the coup, but Embaló, while the coup took place, was using his phone and addressing media organisations across the world that he had been arrested.
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“I’m a Nigerian, and I know how heads of state are treated when there’s a coup.
“Who is fooling who? Basically, what happened in Guinea-Bissau is quite disturbing to me, who believes in democracy.
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“I feel more pained than the day I called Buhari to congratulate him when I lost as a sitting president.”
He also described the sudden halt of the electoral process as a dangerous return to the “dark days” between 2011 and 2014.
ECOWAS AND AU MUST ANNOUNCE THE RESULT
The former president said the election itself was “peaceful, well conducted and properly supervised”.
Jonathan said results from all nine regions had been collated and were ready for final declaration when Embaló suddenly announced a coup.
He also urged ECOWAS and the African Union (AU) to publish the results as a matter of democratic integrity.
“When they were almost through and we were all waiting for the results to be announced, then Embaló announced that there was a coup, that they had taken over, they had arrested him,” Jonathan said.
“But from all indications, nobody arrested him. My conviction is that—and my charge to ECOWAS and AU is that—they must announce the results.
“They have the results because AU and ECOWAS officials were at all the regions when the results were collated.
“They cannot change those results. They should tally all those results and announce. They cannot force the military out.
“They must announce, let the world know who won that election. Let the world know who won that election. And they owe the world that responsibility.”
Jonathan also criticised Embaló’s role, saying it was troubling that a former ECOWAS chair and retired senior military officer could be associated with an event that disrupted the election.
“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 said.
He also demanded the immediate release of Fernando Dias, the opposition candidate who remains in custody, emphasising that he has “not committed any offence.”
