President Bola Tinubu on Saturday received former President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa following Jonathan’s return from Guinea Bissau, where he led an election monitoring mission that was disrupted by a military takeover. The meeting took place behind closed doors, with Jonathan providing a firsthand briefing on the political crisis that unfolded in the West African nation.
Jonathan travelled to Guinea Bissau as head of the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) Election Observation Mission to monitor the presidential and legislative elections held on November 23. He was part of a 36-member joint observation mission that included representatives from the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and WAEF. The elections pitted incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo against opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa of the Party for Social Renewal.
On November 26, just one day before the electoral commission was scheduled to announce official results, soldiers seized control of key government institutions in Bissau. Heavy gunfire erupted around the presidential palace as military officers announced they had taken total control of the country. The armed forces suspended the electoral process, closed all land, air and sea borders, imposed a nationwide curfew, and detained senior officials including the chief of staff and deputy chief of staff of the armed forces.
Jonathan and other foreign election observers became stranded in the country as borders were sealed and movement was severely restricted. His safety became a matter of public concern in Nigeria, prompting the House of Representatives to call on the Federal Government to activate all diplomatic channels to secure his return. The National Assembly described the situation as urgent and demanded immediate action to protect the former president and other Nigerian citizens caught in the crisis.
The Federal Government confirmed on Thursday that Jonathan had been safely evacuated from Guinea Bissau. Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told journalists in Abuja that Jonathan left on a special flight with members of his delegation, including Mohamed Chambas. The evacuation was reportedly facilitated by Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, with Jonathan arriving at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Thursday evening aboard an Ivorian government aircraft.
Speaking to journalists on Friday after his return, Jonathan expressed serious doubts about whether a genuine military coup had occurred. He described the incident as a ceremonial coup and suggested the event was staged to prevent the announcement of election results. Jonathan noted that President Embalo himself announced the coup before any military declaration was made, and that Embalo was freely communicating with international media on his phone while allegedly under arrest.
The former Nigerian leader stated that no military officer conducting a real coup would allow a deposed president such freedom to contact media organizations worldwide. He pointed out that during his experience observing similar situations across Africa, detained leaders are typically held incommunicado and isolated from external communication. Jonathan alleged that the military intervention was designed to derail the democratic process and avoid the announcement of results that may not have favored the incumbent.
After his meeting with President Tinubu on Saturday, Jonathan told State House correspondents that it was standard protocol for former presidents returning from regional assignments to brief the current head of state. He explained that ECOWAS leaders need firsthand information before any summit deliberations on the crisis. Jonathan emphasized that the tallying of votes in Guinea Bissau had been completed and stressed that election results must be formally announced regardless of the military intervention.
Jonathan called on ECOWAS to prioritize diplomatic engagement with the military authorities rather than considering the use of force. He insisted that the winner of the election must be declared, noting that AU and ECOWAS officials were present in all regions when results were collated and that those results cannot be altered. The former president also urged the military leadership to release opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa, who was detained after the takeover, arguing that he had committed no offense.
The military has since named General Horta N’Tam, identified in some reports as the chief of army staff, as the country’s interim leader for a one year period. The new military leadership cited alleged involvement of national drug lords and the introduction of weapons intended to disrupt constitutional order as justification for their intervention. They imposed a nationwide curfew and suspended all media programming in the immediate aftermath of the takeover.
Both the United Nations and regional bodies have condemned the military intervention. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described it as an outright disregard of the will of the people who peacefully cast their votes during the November 23 elections. He called the development an unacceptable violation of democratic principles and reaffirmed UN support for safeguarding democracy in Guinea Bissau. The AU and ECOWAS issued a joint statement with WAEF condemning what they termed a blatant attempt to disrupt the democratic process.
Guinea Bissau, a country of approximately two million people, has suffered nine coups or attempted coups since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, making it one of the most politically unstable nations on the African continent. The country is also among the world’s poorest, with a history of drug trafficking allegations linked to elements within its military and political leadership. More than 6,700 security personnel, including members of the ECOWAS Stabilisation Force, had been deployed for the recent elections amid widespread political tension.
The military takeover in Guinea Bissau represents another setback for democracy in West Africa, a region that has witnessed multiple coups in recent years. ECOWAS has suspended member states following unconstitutional changes of government and struggled to enforce decisions on transition timelines and constitutional order. The crisis in Guinea Bissau follows similar democratic backsliding in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, where military governments have seized power and delayed promised returns to civilian rule.
Jonathan, who served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015, has built a reputation as a respected election observer and mediator across Africa. He has monitored elections and mediated post-election disputes in countries including Zimbabwe, Liberia, Ghana, Mozambique, Pakistan, Tanzania, South Africa, Mali, The Gambia and Côte d’Ivoire. His willingness to concede defeat in Nigeria’s 2015 presidential election earned him international praise for strengthening democratic norms in Africa’s most populous nation.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga confirmed Jonathan’s visit to the Villa in a post on social media, noting there had been concerns about his safety following the military takeover in Guinea Bissau. The meeting is expected to shape Nigeria’s diplomatic response to the crisis and inform discussions at upcoming ECOWAS summits. Nigeria, as the region’s largest economy and most populous country, traditionally plays a leading role in ECOWAS decisions regarding member states facing political instability.
