Former President Goodluck Jonathan has dismissed the recent military intervention in Guinea-Bissau as “not a real coup”, describing it instead as a “ceremonial coup” orchestrated under questionable circumstances.
Jonathan, who led the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission during the country’s tense electoral period, revealed that the episode left him more disturbed than the moment he phoned the late Muhammadu Buhari to concede defeat in Nigeria’s 2015 presidential election.
According to him, the events in Guinea-Bissau unfolded bizarrely.
“It was the president, Umaro Embaló, who announced the coup,” Jonathan revealed in an interview with Symfoni. “Later, a military officer came out to say they were in charge, but Embaló was still using his phone freely, calling media houses to say he had been arrested. Who is fooling who?”
Jonathan, visibly troubled by the contradictions, said the situation defied everything he knew about coup scenarios. “As a Nigerian, I know how coups work. What happened in Guinea-Bissau was strange. It is disturbing for anyone who believes in democracy.”
He explained that observers were already awaiting the announcement of collated election results when Embaló abruptly claimed he had been overthrown.
With rising concerns for his safety, Jonathan left the country aboard an Ivorian aircraft.
Calls for Results to Be Announced
Jonathan urged ECOWAS and the African Union to immediately publish the authentic election results, insisting that both bodies already have verified tallies from all regions.
“They cannot alter those results,” he said. “They owe the world the truth. They must announce who won that election.”
He also demanded the release of opposition candidate Fernando Dias, saying Dias “committed no offence” and should not be held by authorities.
The former president called on regional bodies to act swiftly, warning that withholding the results undermines democracy in West Africa.
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