…wonders how sitting president’ll announce he’s been overthrown, allowed to address the press using his phone
Former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, says no coup occurred in Guinea-Bissau.
According to Jonathan, the coup announced on Wednesday, as the country’s presidential election result was about to be announced, was ceremonial and not real.
He wondered how a sitting President would announce a coup overthrowing his government.
On November 27, 2025, General Horta Inta-A Na Man was sworn in as the country’s new leader, following a military coup that deposed Umaro Sissoco Embaló.
But Jonathan feels that Embaló, a former senior military officer himself, cannot be so easily overthrown, insisting that there’s something fishy about the whole scenario.
Recall that Jonathan was in Guinea-Bissau as part of a joint election observer mission deployed by the African Union (AU), ECOWAS, and the West African Elders Forum to monitor the presidential and legislative elections when the coup occurred.
Guinea-Bissau military authorities, on Wednesday, declared they had taken over full control of the country.
They also announced the suspension of all electoral activities and the immediate closure of national borders.
But Jonathan, who was trapped in the country alongside other foreign observers until they were evacuated by the Cote d’Ivoire government, insisted, “Because, for two things: it is the president, President Embaló, that announced it. And specifically what happened in Guinea-Bissau, I wouldn’t call it a coup. It was not a coup. Maybe some people describe it as not quite… for want of a better word, I will say, maybe a ceremonial coup, because for two things: it is the president, President Embaló, that announced it, before later the military man came up to address the world that they were in charge.
“Then Embaló had already announced it, which is strange — not only announcing the coup but, while the coup took place, he was using his phone and addressing media organisations across the world that he had been arrested.
“I mean, I’m a Nigerian close to 70 years, and I know how they keep heads of state when a coup takes place.
“Recently, I was a mediator in Mali, and within that period, we had a military coup. Militaries don’t take over government and the sitting president that they overthrow would be allowed to be addressing press conferences and announcing that they are being arrested.
“Who is fooling who? Basically, what happened in Guinea-Bissau is quite disturbing to me, who believes in democracy. In fact, I feel more pains than the day I called Buhari to congratulate him when I lost the election.”
