By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
Guinea-Bissau Plunges Into Crisis After Coup, Jonathan Evacuated as AU, ECOWAS React
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has returned to Nigeria after being caught in the middle of the political turmoil that erupted in Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday.
Jonathan was in the country as part of a joint election observer delegation representing the African Union (AU), ECOWAS, and the West African Elders Forum when soldiers seized power and shut all borders.
His safe return coincided with a joint outcry from the AU and ECOWAS missions, which condemned the military takeover and described it as an unacceptable interruption of Guinea-Bissau’s electoral process.
The coup unfolded shortly after both incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition contender Fernando Dias declared victory in Sunday’s polls, even though the official results had yet to be announced.
The Nigerian government denounced the coup as an unconstitutional act that undermines stability in the region.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria expressed alarm over the developments and called for the immediate restoration of constitutional order and the release of all detained officials involved in the election process.
The move was met with widespread criticism from observer missions who had earlier described the voting process as peaceful, orderly, and well-managed.
In a joint statement issued by Filipe Nyusi, Issifu Kamara, and Jonathan on behalf of their respective observer groups, they condemned the coup and lamented that the disruption occurred shortly after both leading candidates pledged to respect the outcome of the polls.
In Guinea-Bissau, civil society groups quickly pushed back against the military’s claims, accusing President Embaló of staging a self-engineered coup as a tactic to halt the release of election results.
A prominent civil society coalition, the Popular Front, alleged that the situation was orchestrated to prevent any outcome that might be unfavourable to the incumbent.
Following widespread concern over his safety, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Jonathan’s evacuation and assured the public that the former president is “safe and out of harm’s way.”
The House of Representatives had earlier urged the federal government to act immediately to secure his release as the situation in Guinea-Bissau rapidly deteriorated.
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