The Federal Government has confirmed that President Goodluck Jonathan is safe and has successfully left Guinea-Bissau following the military takeover that disrupted the country’s electoral process.
Guinea-Bissau’s presidential and legislative elections, held on November 23, were thrown into turmoil when a faction of military officers announced they had seized power, declaring the president removed and the elections suspended.
Nigeria swiftly condemned the forceful takeover, aligning with the African Union (AU) and the ECOWAS electoral missions in denouncing the coup.
Jonathan, who was in Guinea-Bissau as part of the ECOWAS Monitoring Mission when the military made its announcement, had earlier become a subject of public concern over his safety.
In a statement on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through its spokesperson, assured Nigerians and the international community that the former President had exited the country unharmed.
“Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is very safe and out of Guinea-Bissau,” the spokesperson confirmed.
Meanwhile, AU and ECOWAS missions have expressed deep concern over the military’s actions. Their position was outlined in a joint statement signed by Filipe Nyusi, former President of Mozambique; Issifu Kamara; and President Goodluck Jonathan, who also serves on the mission.
The missions commended the people of Guinea-Bissau for their peaceful and orderly participation in the elections, describing the conduct of polling staff, security agencies, presidential candidates, and party agents as exemplary.
However, they lamented the sudden disruption of the process.
“Despite the encouraging voting exercise, we express deep concern over the announcement of a coup d’état by the armed forces while the nation awaited election results,” the statement read.
They described the military’s actions as a regrettable attempt to undermine democratic progress, noting that the announcement came shortly after the missions met with the two leading presidential candidates, who had pledged respect for the will of the people.
The missions called on the AU and ECOWAS to take immediate steps to restore constitutional order and urged the military to release all detained officials, including members of the electoral commission, to allow the electoral process reach its conclusion.
They also appealed to the citizens of Guinea-Bissau to remain calm while regional bodies work to resolve the crisis.