‘It Looks Staged’: Goodluck Jonathan Gives Fresh Details on Guinea-Bissau Coup

• Former President Goodluck Jonathan has claimed that the military coup in Guinea-Bissau was “staged” by President Umaro Embaló to disrupt the announcement of election results, describing the incident as a “ceremonial coup.”

Nigeria’s former President, Goodluck Jonathan, has alleged that President Umaro Embaló orchestrated the military takeover in Guinea-Bissau to prevent the release of the country’s presidential election results.

Jonathan, who led the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission for last Sunday’s presidential and legislative polls, said the so-called coup lacked every characteristic of a genuine military takeover.

Speaking to journalists on Friday after returning to Nigeria, he insisted the event was staged to derail the electoral process.
“What happened in Guinea-Bissau… I would not call it a coup; it was not a coup,” Jonathan said. “For lack of a better word, I will say it was a ceremonial coup because it was President Embaló who announced the coup before the military later came up to say they were in charge.”

Jonathan questioned how a president allegedly “arrested” by soldiers could freely speak by phone to international media.
“No military leader will allow a detained president to speak to the press,” he emphasized. “Nobody should call others fools… It doesn’t happen anywhere.”

The dramatic takeover occurred a day before the electoral commission was expected to announce the results of the contest between incumbent Umaro Embaló of the Madem-G15 party and leading opposition candidate Fernando Dias of the PRS. Embaló, whose term ended in February, was seeking re-election for a second consecutive term.

Following the incident, Chief of Army Staff Horta Inta-A — widely viewed as an ally of Embaló — assumed power as transitional president. Embaló later fled to Senegal, while newly sworn-in Armed Forces Chief of Staff Tomas Djassi, also considered close to the president, took a key position in the transitional authority.

DON’T MISS: Okpebholo Vows to Resign if Tinubu Loses Edo in 2027 Presidential Election

Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko also dismissed the takeover as a “sham,” insisting that the electoral commission must release the results. Opposition supporters similarly condemned the incident as a last-minute ploy to prevent Embaló’s apparent defeat.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, strongly condemned the coup, describing it as an unacceptable attempt to overturn the will of the people.

“Any disregard of the will of the people who peacefully cast their vote during the elections constitutes an unacceptable violation of democratic principles,” Guterres wrote in a statement on X.

The UN, regional stakeholders, and international observers continue to call for the immediate announcement of the election results and a swift return to constitutional order in Guinea-Bissau.