Guinea Bissau coup more painful than losing election to Buhari – Jonathan
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has described the recent military takeover in Guinea Bissau as more painful to him than his loss to former President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 presidential election.
Jonathan, who spoke in a video interview obtained by Saturday PUNCH, said the development was particularly troubling because of his long-standing involvement in restoring democracy to the West African country.
The former president had travelled to Guinea Bissau as part of the West African Elders Forum to monitor the presidential and parliamentary elections.
But while observer missions from the African Union, Economic Community of West African States, and other bodies were still carrying out their duties, the military seized power.
The development left the former Bayelsa State governor and his team stranded and raised concerns over his safety.
Jonathan, who was later evacuated from Guinea Bissau and arrived in Nigeria on Thursday, said the incident unsettled him.
He said, “What happened in Guinea Bissau is quite disturbing to me, a person who believes in democracy. In fact, I feel more pain than the day I called Buhari to congratulate him when I lost the election as a sitting president.
“I have been quite particular about Guinea Bissau. As a sitting president then, Guinea Bissau was in crisis. It started around 2012. In 2011, we had to go physically and work with them and made sure that the 2013 elections were conducted.”
He described the situation in Guinea Bissau as bizarre, arguing that it did not fit the usual pattern of a military coup.
Jonathan said President Umaro Embaló’s early announcement of his own “arrest,” while still using his phone to speak to international media, raised questions about the credibility of the claim.
According to him, the Guinea Bissau elections were peaceful as he cited reports from ECOWAS, AU and other observer missions.
He expressed concern that while results were being collated, Embaló announced that a coup had taken place and that he had been detained, even though evidence suggested he was never arrested.
“It is painful for me that President Embaló was the one announcing a military takeover of government. It is totally unacceptable.
“What happened in Guinea Bissau, I would not call it a coup; it was not a coup. For lack of a better word, I will say it was a ceremonial coup because it was President Embaló who announced the coup before the military later came up to address the world that they were in charge of government.
“Embaló had already announced that there was a 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. I’m a Nigerian close to 70 and I know how they keep Heads of State when a coup takes place.
They cannot be playing pranks; nobody should call others fools. There is no way there will be a military coup at a time they were about to announce election results and the president was the person who announced the coup. It doesn’t happen anywhere,” Jonathan said.
The former president advised against engaging the military in a battle to take back power and called on ECOWAS and the AU to release the full election results.
Jonathan also called for the release of the main opposition leader, Fernando Dias, from military custody, insisting that he did not commit any offence.
Recounting how he was evacuated, the former president said he was airlifted by the Ivorian government.
Jonathan explained that both Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire had made arrangements to send aircraft to evacuate him and his team, but the Ivorian government secured clearance ahead of Nigeria.
He noted that Côte d’Ivoire’s proximity to Guinea Bissau, coupled with the traditional ties between francophone and lusophone countries, made it easier for them to obtain a landing permit more quickly.
He said the Ivorian aircraft was already en route when Nigeria finally received approval to deploy its own plane.
According to him, once they were informed that the Nigerian aircraft was preparing to take off, his team advised Abuja not to proceed since the Ivorian plane was already close.
This, he added, was why he returned on an Ivorian aircraft, as seen in the photographs taken on his arrival.
https://punchng.com/guinea-bissau-coup-more-painful-than-losing-election-to-buhari-jonathan
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