Former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan has called on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) leaders to open urgent talks with Guinea-Bissau’s military authorities, stressing the need for election results to be made public and for the detained opposition candidate to be freed.
Speaking in Abuja on Saturday after briefing President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Jonathan said it was standard for former Nigerian presidents overseeing regional missions to update the incumbent leader, particularly ahead of an ECOWAS summit he will now miss.
Jonathan, who led the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission for last Sunday’s polls, insisted the vote had been completed and the winner already determined before military intervention disrupted the process.
“The key thing is that the election was concluded. Tallying of the results was almost concluded. In fact, the results are known. The winner of that election must be announced,” he said.
He reiterated that dialogue, not force, was the safest option to secure cooperation from the junta.
“Reach out to the military leadership in Guinea-Bissau. Talk to them. They are human beings. They know the right thing to be done,” Jonathan said.
The former president also criticised the continued detention of the opposition figure, saying no justification existed for the arrest since the candidate had neither declared himself winner nor violated national laws.
“The man did not announce himself winner. If he had done that, they could say it was treason. So, there was no reason to arrest him. They should release him and announce the results,” he added.
Jonathan further said that if the military cooperates, the confirmed winner should be sworn into office to restore constitutional governance.
Rejecting suggestions that the takeover amounted to a “palace coup,” he dismissed the characterisation as inaccurate.
“What happened in Guinea-Bissau is not a palace coup. We know real coups. This was not even a palace coup. I described it as a ceremonial coup, a ceremony conducted by the head of state himself,” he said.
Frustrated by recurring democratic disruptions on the continent, Jonathan said Africans were exhausted by continual instability.
