Former President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed that both President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria and President Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire arranged aircraft for his evacuation during the recent coup in Guinea-Bissau.
Speaking to journalists, Jonathan said the Ivorian aircraft arrived first because of the country’s proximity to Guinea-Bissau and its ability to secure landing clearance more quickly through regional connections. He noted that the Nigerian aircraft was subsequently asked to stand down once the Ivorian plane was ready to proceed.
The former president expressed gratitude to both leaders for their swift response, stating that their intervention ensured the safety of his delegation amid the political unrest.
“I appreciate President Tinubu and President Ouattara. They both sent aircraft to evacuate us during the Guinea-Bissau crisis. Côte d’Ivoire is closer and obtained landing approval faster due to regional ties, so we asked Nigeria to stand down,” Jonathan said.
Jonathan had travelled to Guinea-Bissau as head of the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission for the country’s presidential and legislative polls held last Sunday.
His team was still on assignment when the military announced it had taken over government operations.
Reacting to the development alongside other regional and continental observers, Jonathan strongly condemned the takeover, describing it as an attempt to undermine the democratic process.
