Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has challenged Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, who is also chairman of ECOWAS, to be courageous and take decisive action over the coup in Guinea-Bissau.
Jonathan, who was in Burkina Faso as part of the West Africa Elders Forum Election Observation Mission, said in an interview with some Nigerian media outlets that, “Specifically, what happened in Guinea-Bissau was not a coup. Maybe, for want of a better word, I would say it was a ‘ceremonial coup’.”
“It is the president, President Umaro Embaló, that announced the coup. Before later, a military man came up to address the world that they were in charge of everywhere. Embaló had already announced the coup, which is strange,” Jonathan recalled.
“Not only announcing the coup, but Embaló, while the coup took place, was using his phone and addressing media organizations across the world that he had been arrested. Who is fooling who? Basically, what happened in Guinea-Bissau is quite disturbing to me, who believes in democracy,” Jonathan expressed.
The former Nigerian President urged the Chairman of ECOWAS to show courage and announce the election results. “The leadership of ECOWAS, luckily Maada Bio was a former military man himself so he should be courageous. The leadership of AU, they must be courageous, they must announce who won that election,” Jonathan emphasized.
Jonathan also called for the release of Fernando Dias, the opposition candidate, stating that Dias had “not committed any offense.”
On the 26th of November, gunfire erupted near the Presidential Palace in the capital Bissau, military leaders later announced on State television that they have taken over the country in a coup d’état and that the President and the main opposition leaders have been arrested.
Days later, former President Embalo was flown to Senegal.
