By MUHYIDEEN JIMOH

Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday briefed President Bola Tinubu on Guinea-Bissau’s political crisis following its disputed presidential election and subsequent military takeover.

‎Jonathan, who led the ECOWAS Observation Mission, said it was customary to update Nigeria’s leader on regional developments ahead of an expected meeting of ECOWAS Heads of State.‎

‎“In ECOWAS, when you return from such assignments, you brief your president so leaders get first-hand information,” Jonathan told State House correspondents after the meeting.‎

‎He said tallying of votes in Guinea-Bissau had been concluded and stressed that the winner of the election must be formally announced.‎

‎Jonathan stressed the urgent need for the regional bloc to prioritise dialogue with the military authorities to prevent instability and avoid the use of force.‎

‎“We’re not pushing out the military by force. People will die. ECOWAS should engage them. They know the right thing to do,” he said.‎

‎He called for the immediate release of the detained opposition candidate, Fernando Diaz, saying he committed no offence and never proclaimed himself winner.‎

‎“There was no reason to arrest him. He didn’t announce himself president. They should free him and announce the result,” Jonathan said.‎

‎Jonathan urged that the declared winner should be inaugurated if the military authorities agree, stating that Africa must move past frequent political crises.‎

‎“We are tired of negative stories. What happened was not a palace coup. It wasn’t even close. I described it as a ceremonial coup,” he added.‎

‎The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Jonathan had returned to Nigeria from Guinea-Bissau on Thursday evening after being briefly trapped by the incident.‎

‎Guinea-Bissau, with a population of about 2.2 million, has experienced recurrent coups and attempted coups since gaining independence from Portugal more than 50 years ago. (NAN)

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