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Nigeria has sharply criticised the sudden military takeover in Guinea-Bissau, warning that the move risks dragging the region backwards at a time when West Africa is struggling with repeated assaults on democratic rule.
The condemnation came after military officers in the small coastal nation announced on Wednesday that they had seized control, suspended the electoral process and would run the country until further notice.
Read also: Reps to FG: Ensure Jonathans safe return from Guinea-Bissau
Their declaration came only days after a tense presidential election in which both the incumbent, Umaro Embalo, and his main challenger, Fernando Dias, claimed victory even though no official results had been released.
Nigeria’s ministry of foreign affairs said on Thursday that it viewed the coup as a serious breach of democratic norms that all West African states had agreed to uphold. Kimiebi Ebienfa, the ministry spokesperson, said the action was a clear violation of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, which rejects any attempt to gain power outside constitutional processes.
“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,” he said.
Read also: President Embaló arrested in suspected coup as Guinea-Bissau awaits election results
Nigeria urged the officers to restore civilian authority without delay and to guarantee the safety of all those detained. Abuja also stressed that election observers who travelled to Guinea-Bissau to monitor the vote must be protected, warning that those behind the takeover would be held responsible for any harm or instability that follows.
Read also:Guinea Bissau military officers seize power, take over capital
Among those caught in the uncertainty is former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, one of 36 high level observers deployed by the African Union, ECOWAS and the West African Elders Forum. The observers remain in the country as the political situation shifts by the hour.
Nigeria said it was working with regional and international partners to push for a rapid return to normal governance. Officials insist the crisis must not be allowed to undermine years of gradual democratic progress in a nation long familiar with instability.
