Guinea-Bissau: Jonathan briefs Tinubu, urges ECOWAS to engage with military

Calls for announcement of election winner

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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday briefed President Bola Tinubu, urging Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) leaders to engage with military authorities in Guinea-Bissau to ensure that the country’s fragile political crisis is resolved peacefully.

Speaking to State House correspondents after his meeting, Jonathan emphasised the urgent necessity for recognising the winner of the recent election, despite the military’s intervention.

“I came this evening to brief the president on what happened. It is the tradition for former presidents involved in regional and continental issues to update the current administration,” Jonathan said. “The election was concluded—the results are known—and the key thing is that the winner of that election must be announced.”

Acknowledging the complexity of the crisis, Jonathan cautioned against using force to remove the military, stating, “They cannot kick out the military with force; otherwise people will die.”

He called on ECOWAS leaders to reach out to military leadership in Guinea-Bissau, appealing to their sense of humanity and reason.

He also demanded the immediate release of the opposition figure detained by the military, saying, “The man has not committed any offence. He didn’t announce himself as winner of the election. If he had, they would say it was treasonable. So there was no reason to arrest him.”

Jonathan insisted that the election results be announced and, with military agreement, the rightful winner should be inaugurated as president.

Addressing the nature of recent events, Jonathan dismissed claims of a “palace coup,” clarifying, “We know coups, real coups. Palace coups we know in Nigeria. This was not even a palace coup. I described it as a ceremonial coup conducted by the head of state himself.”

Expressing frustration with ongoing instability in Africa, he added, “We are tired of this in Africa. Every day there is a negative story.”