Nigeria’s former president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, who has been in Guinea Bissau where as head of the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) observer group to monitor the country’s presidential election is safe and is expected back in Nigeria this week.
TNN learnt from some of his aides and associates on Thursday, that the former president is hale and hearty, despite being caught in the web of military intervention in that country, a few days after the election.
One of the associates who had a telephone conversation with Jonathan on Thursday morning told TNN that Jonathan was very safe and that there was no cause for alarm. In fact, he said a private jet was already ready to move him out of Guinea Bissau.
He said some African leaders were already making moves to secure approval of the junta in Guinea Bissau to enable to private jet take Jonathan out of their country. He expressed the optimism that the former president would be back in Nigeria this week.
Jonathan had earlier alerted the world via his verified social media handle, that he and his colleagues had arrived in Guinea Bissau. “We arrived in Bissau this evening as members of the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) Election Mission ahead of Guinea Bissau’s presidential and parliamentary polls scheduled for November 23, 2025. We wish the people of Guinea Bissau a peaceful, inclusive and transparent elections.”
Some hours after that first post, he had also posted that “members of the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) Election Mission today conducted visits to some polling stations in Bissau as voting commenced in Guinea-Bissau’s 2025 presidential and parliamentary elections.
“WAEF extends warm regards to the people and authorities of Guinea-Bissau and wishes for a smooth voting process and a peaceful, stable post-election period that strengthens unity and democratic governance.”
Following the crisis that erupted after last weekend’s election, a group of military officers claimed “total control” of the country. President Umaro Sissoco Embalo and Fernando Dias had each assumed to be victorious after the election, declared a curfew, arrest the opposition leader, arrested the sitting president and shut down all borders, preventing movement into and out of the country.
