Former President Goodluck Jonathan has insisted that the recent military takeover in Guinea-Bissau was not a coup, describing it instead as maybe a ceremonial coup.
Gunfire erupted around key government institutions in Bissau on Wednesday as soldiers claimed to have total control of the country.
President Umaro Sissoco Embaló said he was arrested in his office at the presidential palace, sparking panic and prompting the military to impose a curfew, suspend the electoral process, close borders, and detain senior officials, including top military and interior ministry figures.
The Federal Government condemned the development as a serious threat to democracy and regional stability, and confirmed that Jonathan, who was in the country as head of the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission, was safely evacuated by a special flight alongside members of his delegation.
In an interview with Symfoni posted on YouTube on Friday, Jonathan said he was compelled to speak to the media to thank Nigerians for their concern during the crisis and to clarify the situation.
He said that since leaving office he had always been cautious about speaking to the media, but decided to do so in this instance first and foremost to thank Nigerians for their show of empathy and encouragement.
He explained that during the incident described as a coup, Guinea-Bissau’s president himself announced that he had been arrested before the military made any public declaration.
Jonathan said he would not call it a coup, insisting it was not a coup and describing it, for want of a better word, as a ceremonial coup.
He cited two reasons: first, that President Embaló announced the coup himself, and second, that the military only later addressed the world to say they were in charge everywhere.
He added that Embaló announced the coup while it was still unfolding and was using his phone to address media organisations across the world to say that he had been arrested, a situation he described as strange.
The former president expressed disbelief at the manner in which the incident unfolded, comparing it with other military takeovers in West Africa.
He said election results should be tallied and announced, stressing that the military could not be forced out, but that the world must be told who won the election.
Jonathan recalled his experience overseeing elections in Côte d’Ivoire, emphasising that election outcomes must be respected.
He recounted that during the 2010 elections in Côte d’Ivoire, then president Laurent Gbagbo led the first round with a plurality of votes, while Alassane Ouattara came second, but neither secured the required majority, making a runoff necessary.
According to him, after the second round, the candidates who lost in the first round supported Ouattara, who then won more votes than Gbagbo. Despite this, Gbagbo initially refused to step down, claiming victory.
Jonathan said international observers and the ECOWAS community agreed that Ouattara won the election and made it clear that he had to be sworn in as president.
He noted that as chair of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS at the time, he stood his ground until Ouattara was sworn in as President of Côte d’Ivoire.
