Nigeria’s former president, Mr Goodluck Jonathan, is trapped in Guinea-Bissau, following the coup in the West African country on Wednesday.
Mr Jonathan is among African leaders on the joint mission of the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Elders Forum who were in the coup-hit Guinea-Bissau to monitor the presidential election held held over the weekend.
Yesterday, a group of military officers said they had seized control of Guinea-Bissau amid reports that the president, 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.
Nigeria’s House of Representatives on Thursday urged the federal government to use all diplomatic efforts to ensure the return of Mr Jonathan, who was president from 2010 to 2015. It also appealed to the federal government to rescue Nigerians equally trapped in Guinea-Bissau.
Guinea-Bissau’s incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo had been favoured to win Sunday’s election, and was arrested while he was inside the presidential palace.
Also arrested were the chief of staff, General Biague Na Ntan, deputy chief of staff General Mamadou Traore, and the interior minister, Botche Cande.
Election observers from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) and the Nigerian government have raised concerns over the coup in Guinea-Bissau.
In separate statements, they described the coup as unacceptable and called for the return to democratic government in the West African nation.
The observers expressed “deep concern with the announcement of a coup d’etat by the armed forces, while the nation was waiting for the announcement of the results.
“It’s regrettable that this announcement came at a time when the missions had just concluded a meeting with the two leading presidential candidates, who assured us of their willingness to accept the will of the people”.