Abuja, Nigeria - October 27: Nigerias President Goodluck Jonathan in his presidential residence on October 27, 2014 in Abuja, Nigeria. (Photo by Michael Gottschalk/Photothek via Getty Images)
Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday evening briefed President Bola Tinubu on the political impasse in Guinea Bissau.
Jonathan, who served as the head of the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) Election Observer Mission to Guinea-Bissau, was at the State House, Abuja, to give the President a first-hand account of the developments in the country, following the military takeover that led to the abrupt suspension of the electoral process and the subsequent military intervention that has drawn global condemnation.
Speaking with newsmen after the closed-door meeting, Jonathan said he came to brief the President about recent political developments in Guinea Bissau.
He said: “I came this evening to brief Mr President what happened that is the tradition for former President, all these regional and continental issues whenever you are involved when you get back home you have to brief the President because likewise leaders will meet I will not be there, so he will be able to get first hand information”.
The former President stressed that what happened in the West African country was not a military coup but a ceremonial coup masterminded by ousted President, Umaro Sissoco Embalo.
According to him: “What happened in Guinea Bissau is not what some people would call palace coup, it was not a palace coup, we know, we know real coups, palace coups we know in Nigeria.
“This was not even a palace coup, I was looking for the appropriate word to describe it I could not get that is why I called it a ceremonial coup. It was a ceremony conducted by the Head of State himself, that is why I say it was a ceremonial coup”.
He stated that moving forward leadership of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) needs to reach out to the military junta on the need for them to release results of the concluded presidential poll and possibly inaugurate the winner as President.
His words: “The key thing is that the election was concluded tallying of results was almost concluded infact the results are known and the key thing is that the winner of that election must be announced
“Well you cannot kick out the military with force otherwise people will die, but let us know the winner of the election
“So what I am asking the ECOWAS leadership to do is to reach out to the leadership in Guinea Bissau. Talk to them they are human beings they know the right thing to be done. “First for them to release the opposition man because the man has not committed any offense, he didn’t announce himself as the winner of the election if he had done that they would say it’s a treasonable offence so there is no reason to arrest him.
“And then they should announce the result and if the military would agree the person who won the elections should be inaugurated as the President of the country”.
Deji Elumoye
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