Guinea-Bissau Incident Painful than Losing to Buhari – Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said the military takeover in Guinea-Bissau was not a coup, insisting that the election results be announced.

Also, Jonathan described the incident as more painful for him than when he had to call late Muhammadu Buhari, when he lost the presidential election.

Recall that Jonathan was in Guinea-Bissau as the head of the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission when the said coup happened.

With anxiety for his safety mounting, he returned to Nigeria on an Ivorian aircraft. Read the full story HERE.

Something fishy about the coup
Speaking to in an interview with Symfoni on Friday, Goodluck Jonathan described the Guinea-Bissau military intervention as as “a ceremonial coup”.

The former president said: “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.

“Not only announcing the coup, but Embaló, while the coup took place, was using his phone and addressing media organisations across the world that he had been arrested.

“I’m a Nigerian, and I know how heads of state are treated when there’s a coup.

“Who is fooling who? Basically, what happened in Guinea-Bissau is quite disturbing to me, who believes in democracy.

“I feel more pained than the day I called Buhari to congratulate him when I lost as a sitting president.”

On how the event unfolded, Jonathan said: “When they were almost through and we were all waiting for the results to be announced, then Embaló announced that there was a coup, that they had taken over, they had arrested him.”

“They have the results because AU and ECOWAS officials were at all the regions when the results were collated.

“They cannot change those results. They should tally all those results and announce. They cannot force the military out.

“They must announce, let the world know who won that election. Let the world know who won that election. And they owe the world that responsibility.”

Also, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan demanded the release of Fernando Dias, the opposition candidate. He stressed that Dias had “not committed any offence”.