Nigeria’s former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is safe and has left Guinea-Bissau following the military coup that toppled the country’s government.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Kimiebi Ebienfa, made this known on Thursday.
“Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is very safe and out of Guinea-Bissau. He left with a special flight with members of his delegation, including Mohamed Chambas,” he said.
Yesterday, a group of military officers said they had seized control of Guinea-Bissau amid reports that the president, Mr Umaro Sissoco Embaló, has been arrested.
The officers then appeared on state TV, saying they had suspended the electoral process, as the West African nation awaited the outcome of Sunday’s presidential election.
They said they were acting to thwart a plot by unnamed politicians who had “the support of a well-known drug baron” to destabilise the country, and announced the closure of its borders and imposed a night-time curfew.
This saw the former Nigerian president and others trapped in the tense West African country.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, Mr Filipe Nyusi, former president of Mozambique and Head of the African Union Election Observation Mission; Mr Issifu Kamara, Head of the Economic Community of West African States Election Observation Mission; and Mr Jonathan condemned the coup, describing it as a direct attempt to disrupt Guinea-Bissau’s democratic process.
They appealed for calm among residents and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Guinea-Bissau “during this sensitive period,” stressing “the importance of preserving peace, stability, and the well-being of the Bissau-Guinean people.”
Also, the Nigerian government condemned the coup in strong terms, warning that it represents a serious threat to democracy and regional stability.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it learned of the development “with profound dismay and deep concern,” faulting the coup for leading to “an unconstitutional change of government in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau.”
It described the action as a violation of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.