Amid FG’s Delay, Ivory Coast Airlifts ex-President Jonathan from Guinea-Bissau

•Military general sworn in leader after disputed vote

•Lawmakers urged Tinubu to facilitate Jonathan’s return

•FG says ex-leader safe, condemns military coup

Emmanuel Addeh, Adedayo Akinwale and Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Côte d’Ivoire yesterday airlifted former President Goodluck Jonathan from Guinea-Bissau where the ex-Nigerian was trapped after a coup d’état in the West African country, once again bringing to the fore what appeared to be the  increasingly lackadaisical posture of the Nigerian government.

While Abidjan acted with urgency to protect a visiting African leader, Abuja appeared flat-footed, offering little visible coordination or assertive diplomatic engagement despite Jonathan’s status as a former head of state and an envoy of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

THISDAY learnt yesterday that the Ivorian government had already made arrangements to fly Jonathan using the country’s presidential jet, with some aides of President Bola Tinubu, getting in touch with a Jonathan aide in Abuja, rather than official communication from the highest level of the Nigerian government.

“It was the Côte d’Ivoire government that reached out to President Jonathan and they have provided an aircraft that’s bringing him back,” a source who preferred anonymity told THISDAY yesterday.

However, it was learnt that although the Nigerian government later reached out, the Ivorian government had already reached out to the former President and had already concluded arrangements to return him to Nigeria.

It was also confirmed last night that contrary to reports that it was the soldiers who carried out the coup that escorted the former Nigerian President out of the country,  they were not actually involved in the movement of Jonathan and his sides.

Rather, it was learnt that ECOMOG forces, comprising soldiers from Nigeria, Ghana and Senegalese soldiers, gave the former Nigerian President security from his hotel to the airport. “You will see that it was a presidential jet with the Republic of Cote d’ Ivoire mark”, the source stated.

However, as of last night, THISDAY gathered that Jonathan who was in Guinea-Bissau as Head of the West African Elders Forum (WAEF), serving as part of an international observer mission, had returned to Nigeria.

He, alongside other foreign observers, were trapped on Wednesday after the military took over power  while results of the elections were about to be officially declared. A group of military officers claimed “total control” of the country, a day after two leading candidates – President Umaro  Embalo and Fernando Dias – each declared victory.

The coupist who called  themselves the “High Military Command for the Restoration of Order”, ordered the immediate suspension of the electoral process “until further notice”. They also ordered the closure of all land, air and sea borders and an overnight curfew.

Meanwhile, Guinea-Bissau’s military yesterday installed Maj.-Gen. Horta Inta-a as transitional President, a day after soldiers toppled the civilian leadership in a swift power grab made before the results of a weekend election could be announced.

It was the ninth coup in West and Central Africa in five years and continued a pattern of instability in Guinea-Bissau, a notorious cocaine transport hub with a long history of military interventions in politics.

The self-styled “High Military Command for the Restoration of Order” announced in a televised statement on Wednesday that they had ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embalo. They said the move came in response to a destabilisation plan involving politicians and drug barons, without going into more detail.

Wearing a military uniform and flanked by other military officials, Inta-a made his first public appearance as leader at a ceremony broadcast Thursday on state television. He said the coup was necessary to stave off a plot by “narcotraffickers” to “capture Guinean democracy” and said the transition would last one year, beginning immediately.

At a swearing-in ceremony later on Thursday, he named Maj.-Gen. Tomas Djassi as army chief of staff. The takeover came a day before provisional results were due to be announced in the race between Embalo and Fernando Dias, a 47-year-old political newcomer who had emerged as Embalo’s top challenger in the presidential vote.

Before the coup announcement, gunfire rang out in the capital Bissau for about an hour on Wednesday near the electoral commission headquarters and presidential palace, Reuters reported.

An army statement dated Thursday said Embalo and other top officials were “under the control of the High Military Command”. African Union chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf condemned the coup in a statement, and called for the release of Embalo “and all detained officials.”

Heads of state from the West African regional bloc ECOWAS also condemned the coup and later held a virtual meeting to discuss the situation, according to a post on X.

Screen grabs shared with the post showed several regional leaders participating, including the presidents of Nigeria, Senegal and Liberia, as well as the AU’s Youssouf. The European Union said constitutional order should be restored and the vote count allowed to proceed.

Central Bissau was mostly quiet on Thursday, with soldiers on the streets and many residents staying indoors, even after the overnight curfew was lifted. Businesses and banks were closed.

Before Inta-a’s presidency was announced, Dias accused Embalo in a video statement of staging a “false coup attempt” to derail the election because he feared he would lose. In a statement, the coalition backing Dias demanded that authorities be allowed to release results from Sunday’s presidential election.

The coalition also called for the release of former Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira, who was detained on Wednesday, according to relatives and security sources. Security forces used tear gas to break up a small protest outside the building where Pereira is said to be held. They also broke up a gathering near Dias’s home on the outskirts of Bissau and live rounds were fired, witnesses said.

Before Jonathan was flown to Nigeria by the Ivorian authorities, the House of Representatives earlier yesterday called on the federal government to explore diplomatic measures to facilitate the safe return of former President Goodluck Jonathan who is trapped in Guinea Bissau following a coup in the country.

The decision of the House was sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance moved by the House Leader, Hon. Julius Ihonvbere. However, Ihonvbere informed the House that Jonathan, who was in the country on election observation, was trapped following the coup.

He noted: “The government is aware and they are doing everything possible to get him back as quickly and safely as possible. Our goal is to urge the government not to relent in that effort, and to use all diplomatic means at its means to get our former President, a true democrat, back to Nigeria immediately.”

The House reaffirmed that safeguarding the lives of all citizens, at home and abroad, remains a matter of urgent national priority and urged the executive to act without delay.

But as Jonathan was airborne, the federal government announced that he was very safe and out of Guinea-Bissau.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said: “He left with a special flight with members of his delegation including, former President, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, Ibn Chambas.”

The Nigerian government has also condemned the military coup d’etat in Guinea-Bissau, saying :“The Federal Government of Nigeria has learned with profound dismay and deep concern the unfortunate military coup which has led to an unconstitutional change of government in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria, in the strongest possible terms, condemns this act of military insurrection which undermines the democratic progress, constitutional order, and stability not only of Guinea-Bissau but of the entire West African sub-region. This coup d’état represents a blatant violation of the fundamental principles of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, which explicitly rejects any ascension to power through unconstitutional means.

“We stand in solidarity with the people of Guinea-Bissau and call for the immediate and unconditional restoration of constitutional order, the safety and security of all those detained  and the full respect for the sanctity of democratic institutions in Guinea-Bissau.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria unequivocally calls on the authorities in Guinea-Bissau to ensure and guarantee the safety of all election observers still in the country on official assignment.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria urges all actors involved to exercise utmost restraint, prioritise peaceful dialogue, and respect the will of the people of Guinea-Bissau as expressed through their ballots and the peaceful conclusion of the election with the announcement of results by the electoral management body.

“We warn that those behind this act will be held accountable for their actions, which threaten to plunge the nation into chaos and reverse the hard-won gains of its democracy.”

It further added that Nigeria as a key member of ECOWAS and the African Union, will work closely with regional and international partners to take all necessary measures to ensure the swift return to normalcy and constitutional governance in Guinea-Bissau.

“We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the promotion of democracy, peace, and stability across the African continent,” the federal government stressed.