Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday held a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where he briefed the president on the unfolding political crisis in Guinea-Bissau.
The meeting comes a day after Jonathan was evacuated from the junta-led West African nation.
Jonathan had been in Guinea-Bissau as head of a joint election observation mission when a group of military officers staged a takeover.
On Wednesday, the military declared it had assumed “total control,” suspended the electoral process, and sealed the country’s borders — prompting international outcry.
The evacuation of Jonathan was confirmed by the Federal Government, which arranged a special flight, with support from both the Ivorian government and Nigeria, to ensure his safe return.
In his account to journalists after arriving home on Friday, Jonathan described the episode as a “ceremonial coup,” suggesting the takeover may have been orchestrated by the deposed incumbent rather than a spontaneous military insurrection.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) swiftly suspended Guinea-Bissau from its decision-making bodies and announced plans to despatch a high-level mediation team to demand a restoration of constitutional order.
Meanwhile, the African Union condemned the coup as a violation of democratic norms, reaffirming its policy of zero tolerance for unconstitutional changes of government.
