Former President Goodluck Jonathan has arrived in Abuja after being evacuated from Guinea-Bissau in the wake of a military takeover in the West African country.
Jonathan landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Thursday night after leaving Guinea-Bissau aboard a government aircraft. A video shared online showed him being warmly received on arrival.
He was in the country as head of the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission for last Sunday’s presidential and legislative elections before soldiers seized power on Wednesday.
Gunshots were earlier reported near the presidential palace as troops blocked major routes in the capital. The head of the presidential military office, General Denis N’Canha, announced that a joint command of all branches of the armed forces had taken over the government “until further notice.”
President Umaro Sissoco Embaló later told France24 by phone that he had been overthrown. AFP reported that he was sheltering in a building near the military headquarters with the chief of staff and the interior minister.
Both Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias had declared victory in the disputed election, with provisional results expected on Thursday.
The military authorities claimed they uncovered a plot involving drug traffickers and the importation of weapons aimed at disrupting the constitutional order. By Thursday, they announced that the country’s borders had been reopened.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, Jonathan, alongside former Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi and ECOWAS observer mission head Issifu Kamara, condemned the coup, warning that it threatened Guinea-Bissau’s democratic process.
Amid concerns over Jonathan’s safety, the House of Representatives earlier urged the Federal Government to use diplomatic channels to secure his return. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs later confirmed that the former president had departed Guinea-Bissau safely with members of his delegation.
“Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is safe and has left Guinea-Bissau on a special flight with his team, including Mohamed Chambas,” spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa said on Thursday.
