Former Nigerian President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, has returned safely to Abuja after being caught in the unrest that followed Wednesday’s military takeover in Guinea-Bissau.
Jonathan was in the country as part of a joint election observation mission for the African Union, ECOWAS and the West African Elders Forum when soldiers announced a coup, sealing all borders and imposing a curfew.
In a statement confirming his safe evacuation, the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the former President is “very safe and out of Guinea-Bissau,” while expressing deep concern over the worsening political situation in the West African nation.
Nigeria has strongly condemned the military action, describing it as an unconstitutional seizure of power that poses a threat to regional stability.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a separate statement, called for the immediate restoration of constitutional order and the release of all detained officials.
Meanwhile, Guinea-Bissau’s military authorities have named an Army General, Horta N’Tam, formerly head of the presidential guard, as transitional leader for a one-year period.
The takeover followed confusion over Sunday’s presidential election in which both incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias claimed victory before official results were announced.
Election observer missions led by former Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi, former Sierra Leonean Vice President Issifu Kamara and Dr Jonathan jointly condemned the coup, noting that the voting process had been peaceful and orderly.
They described the military intervention as a “blatant attempt to disrupt the democratic process” and urged AU and ECOWAS to act decisively.
There are also emerging allegations from some civil society groups in Guinea-Bissau accusing the ousted president of orchestrating a “simulated coup” to block the announcement of election results if they did not favour him.
In a swift diplomatic response, President Bola Tinubu participated in an emergency virtual meeting of ECOWAS Heads of State on Thursday to review the situation.
The leaders are considering further steps to prevent a wider regional destabilisation, as the bloc continues to grapple with a resurgence of coups in West Africa.