KEY POINTS

• Jonathan says the Guinea-Bissau intervention was not a real coup.
• He calls it a ceremonial and suspicious takeover.
• He questions why President Embaló announced his own coup.

Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has played down the military takeover in Guinea-Bissau, describing it as a confusing and suspicious episode rather than a classic coup.

Jonathan said the incident unsettled him more than the moment he phoned Muhammadu Buhari to concede the 2015 presidential race.

Jonathan led the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission in the country when the events unfolded. Rising concern for his safety forced his team to leave on an Ivorian aircraft soon after tensions spiked.

A strange and confusing intervention

Jonathan said the situation looked staged. He said it felt like a controlled script rather than a forceful takeover but called it a ceremonial coup.

While he said President Umaro Embaló was the first to declare the coup. He said the announcement raised questions. Jonathan noted that the president remained active on the phone. He added that Embaló freely spoke with global media. He said no real restriction appeared in place.

Jonathan said such behaviour was unusual. He said real coups isolate their targets quickly. He said leaders do not make phone calls during arrests. While he questioned who was misleading the public. He said the situation troubled him deeply as a democrat.

He said the disruption came as results were being expected. Also he said Embaló then claimed the military had detained him. Jonathan said events later showed the president was not held at all.

AU and ECOWAS urged to publish results

Jonathan urged regional bodies to release the election results. Furthermore he said ECOWAS and AU observers had full data. He said they monitored collation across the regions and the figures could not be altered.

He said publishing the results was essential. Jonathan said the world must know the true winner. He said the duty lay with both organisations.

Jonathan also called for the release of Fernando Dias. He said the opposition candidate committed no offence and Dias must be freed. He insisted that transparency must guide every step going forward.