- Insists there was no coup in West African country
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said that the incident that occurred in Guinea Bissau was not a coup but a stage-managed plot by President Umaro Embalo to thwart democratic governance.
Jonathan, who addressed the media in Abuja, said a transparent electoral process was hijacked, urging the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to rise up.
The former Nigerian leader called on the international community to ensure that the results of the Guinea Bissau presidential election are released and a winner announced in spite of the military’s declaration that it is now in charge of the country.
Speaking with journalists at the Nnamdi Azikwe airport in Abuja, Jonathan, who rarely grants unscheduled media interviews, said he chose to break his silence this time “to thank Nigerians for the show of empathy” during the tense hours of uncertainty in Bissau.
“Since I left office, I’ve always been scared talking to the media,” he admitted with a chuckle.
“But in this particular case, I decided to speak. First, to thank Nigerians.
“While we were in Bissau and this so-called coup happened, the information we got was that the whole country was agitated—young and old, irrespective of religious or political divides. I sincerely appreciate Nigerians.”
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According to Jonathan who was part of a joint election observer mission deployed by the African Union, AU, ECOWAS, and the West African Elders Forum to monitor the presidential and legislative elections, both President Bola Tinubu and Côte d’Ivoire’s President Alassane Ouattara immediately prepared aircraft to evacuate him and his delegation when the situation became uncertain.
“I thank President Tinubu and President Ouattara; both presidents were to send aircraft to lift us,” he said, adding that the swift intervention showed Africa still has leaders committed to protecting democratic processes.
He told journalists that the coup that purportedly ousted Umaro Sissoco Embaló from the presidency of Guinea-Bissau is more of a phantom coup because the tenure of the former military leader had just expired, Jonathan has said.
“What happened was not a coup – maybe a ceremonial one. I wouldn’t call it a coup. For want of a better word, maybe it was a ceremonial coup,” he said
He spoke further: “Two things made it bizarre: it was President Embaló himself who first announced it. And while this ‘coup’ was happening, he was using his phone to address media organisations across the world, saying he had been arrested.
“I am a Nigerian close to 70. I know how heads of state are kept when a coup takes place. This one does not fit.”
Jonathan said his pain stems from the fact that he has personally invested years mediating and stabilising Guinea-Bissau, recalling the country’s dark period between 2011 and 2014.
