“What Happened in Guinea‑Bissau Wasn’t a Coup” — Former President Goodluck Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has dismissed the recent events in Guinea‑Bissau as a genuine coup, describing them instead as a “ceremonial coup.” Speaking after returning from the country, where he led an election observation mission under the West African Elders Forum (WAEF), Jonathan said that it was President Umaro Sissoco Embaló himself who announced the supposed coup and contacted media outlets, claiming he had been arrested.

Jonathan explained that this conduct does not reflect how heads of state are treated during real military takeovers. “While it was happening, he was the one calling media organisations to say there was a coup. I’m a Nigerian, and I know how heads of state are treated when there’s a real coup,” he said.

He further stated that the elections in Guinea‑Bissau had been peaceful and properly conducted across all nine regions, with vote results ready for announcement before the disruption occurred. Jonathan urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) to publish the official results promptly to uphold the democratic will of the people.

Describing the incident as deeply troubling, Jonathan emphasized that it did not align with the norms of democratic processes and warned against allowing the so-called takeover to invalidate the election outcome.