Former President Goodluck Jonathan is safe and has left Guinea-Bissau following Wednesday’s military coup, the Federal Government confirmed on Thursday.
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, told journalists in Abuja that Jonathan departed the country on a special flight along with other members of his delegation, including former Ghanaian diplomat Mohamed Ibn Chambas.
“Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is very safe and out of Guinea-Bissau. He left with a special flight with members of his delegation, including Mohamed Chambas,” Ebienfa said.
Jonathan had been in Guinea-Bissau as head of the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission monitoring last Sunday’s presidential and parliamentary elections.
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday with other international observers, Jonathan strongly condemned the military takeover, calling it a direct assault on the country’s democratic process and urging calm among citizens.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a separate statement on Thursday describing the coup as a “profound dismay” and a clear violation of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
The military seized power on Wednesday, suspended the electoral process, closed borders temporarily and placed President Umaro Sissoco Embaló under confinement.
Borders were reopened on Thursday morning, but the political situation remains tense as provisional results from Sunday’s election, which both the incumbent and the main opposition candidate had claimed to win, have now been put on hold indefinitely.