Former Nigerian President and seasoned African statesman, Goodluck Jonathan, has cast serious doubt on the official narrative surrounding the recent purported coup in Guinea-Bissau, describing the events as “strange” and questioning the role of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló in his own reported overthrow.
In a recent interview with Symfoni TV, Jonathan drew upon his extensive experience with regional conflicts and military takeovers to highlight unusual circumstances that he suggests do not align with the typical characteristics of a genuine coup d’état. The former president pointed out the bizarre sequence of events where President Embaló himself was the first to declare that a coup was underway.
“It is President Embaló who announced the coup,” Jonathan stated, emphasising the irregularity of a sitting head of state broadcasting his own ousting. He noted that it was only after Embaló’s announcement that military figures appeared to claim control.
Further fueling his scepticism, Jonathan described how the supposedly detained leader had unfettered access to communication during the crisis. “While the coup took place, he was using his phone and addressing media organisations across the world that he had been arrested,” he explained.
Drawing a sharp contrast with other military takeovers he has witnessed, including his time as a mediator in Mali, Jonathan questioned the credibility of the situation.
“I’m a Nigerian, close to 70, and I know how they keep heads of state when a coup takes place,” he remarked. “The military doesn’t take over government, and the sitting president that they overthrew would be allowed to be addressing press conferences… Who is fooling whom?”
Jonathan, who was in Guinea-Bissau at the time of the turmoil, also detailed his own dramatic evacuation. He revealed that a coordinated effort by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara was launched to ensure his safe departure.
He explained that while both leaders dispatched aircraft, the Ivorian plane reached him first. This was due to the Ivory Coast’s closer proximity and the established diplomatic channels among Francophone nations, which allowed them to secure landing permits more swiftly than their Nigerian counterparts
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