‘Guinea Coup Hurts Me More Than 2015 Loss To Buhari – Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has opened up on the political upheaval in Guinea‑Bissau, describing the military takeover as a personal agony that cut deeper than his 2015 election loss to Muhammadu Buhari.

Jonathan, who made the comments in a video interview obtained by Saturday PUNCH, said the shock was heavier because he had invested years and political capital into stabilising democracy in the West African nation.

“I feel more pain than the day I called Buhari to congratulate him,” he said.

The statement came after Jonathan returned from Bauchi for a funeral mission where he was asked about the tensions that had broken earlier in Guinea-Bissau.

Jonathan had travelled to Guinea-Bissau under the West African Elders Forum to monitor the presidential and parliamentary elections.

But even as observer missions from ECOWAS, the African Union and allied organisations were still reviewing election processes, the military moved in, seizing power mid-duty.

The development left the delegation unsettled, with the former Goodluck Jonathan and his team temporarily stranded before evacuation arrangements matured.

“Observer missions confirmed the election was peaceful,” Jonathan noted, stressing that the process was still in motion when the power shift drama began.

“Quite Disturbing” But Not A Typical Coup

Jonathan said the manner of the takeover was unusual, insisting it did not fit the standard definition of a military coup.

Explaining the bizarre sequence of events, Jonathan revealed that the country’s president, Umaro Embaló, announced his own “arrest” using his phone, and at the same time declared that a military takeover had happened, all before the army publicly took charge.

Jonathan questioned the credibility of that claim.

“What happened in Guinea-Bissau is quite disturbing to me, a person who believes in democracy.

“It was not a coup. It was a ceremonial coup,” Jonathan said.

The Nigerian former President elaborated further in striking outrage: “I’m a Nigerian close to 70. I know how they keep Heads of State when a coup happens.

“They cannot be playing pranks. They cannot be calling others fools.

“There is no way there will be a military takeover and the president is the one announcing it before the military later address the world.”

To him, that sequence was unheard of. “It doesn’t happen anywhere,” he emphasised.

Timeline Throwback: ‘We Secured Elections In 2013’

Recounting his personal history with the country’s democratic journey, Jonathan said Guinea-Bissau’s crisis years were familiar territory for him, recalling that Nigeria had physically intervened to stabilise the country’s politics during his presidency.

He said, “As a sitting president then, Guinea-Bissau was in crisis. It started around 2012.

“In 2011, we had to go physically and work with them and made sure that the 2013 elections were conducted.”

His involvement was not diplomatic tourism, he said, but democratic engineering under fire.

“I have been quite particular about Guinea-Bissau. We ensured election integrity when the country was in turmoil.”

‘Don’t Fight The Army’ – Jonathan’s Advice To West Africa

After the takeover, Jonathan said his core message was simple: do not return violence for violence.

He advised against engaging the military in a battle to reclaim political authority, instead pushing for institutional accountability and transparency from regional bodies.

“This is not the time for confrontation. We must promote peace and democratic due process,” he said.

Jonathan also urged ECOWAS and the African Union to release the full election results. He said, “They should release the results. Let West Africa see the truth.”

Jonathan appealed for the release of the main opposition figure, Fernando Dias, insisting the politician committed no offence.

“He did not commit any crime. He must be freed,” the Nigerian former leader stressed.

Jonathan emphasised that the health of a democracy is measured by how it treats its opposition, not how loudly its president boasted.

Jonathan Explains How He Was Evacuated From Guinea-Bissau

Explaining how he left Guinea-Bissau, Jonathan said both Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire offered evacuation aircraft support, but the Ivorian government obtained landing clearance faster due to proximity and historical ties among francophone and lusophone blocs.

Nigeria’s aircraft was preparing for take-off from Abuja when Côte d’Ivoire’s jet was already near its landing path.

Jonathan said his team advised Nigeria not to proceed with deployment once intelligence confirmed the Ivorian plane was close.

He said, “Abuja should not burn aviation fuel when clearance has already been secured by Côte d’Ivoire,” a team source told him before cancelling Nigeria’s dispatch plan.

So, he returned home on an Ivorian jet.

“I was airlifted by the Ivorian government.”

“…when we heard Nigeria was about to take off, we told them not to proceed because the Ivorian aircraft was already close.

“That is why I returned on an Ivorian aircraft,” he said.

The photographs circulating online showing his airport arrival were from the Ivorian evacuation landing, he said.

Jonathan finished his commentary by calling on West African leaders to treat democracy as shared heritage, not prank theatre.

“Nobody should call others fools… it does not strengthen the nation.

“Peace must rise above bravado, or West Africa suffers together,” Jonathan stressed.