₦airaland Forum

givedemwotowoto:
This is the fifth West African country that has come under military rule, let that sink in.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has described the recent military takeover in Guinea Bissau as more painful to him than his loss to former President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 presidential election.

Jonathan, who spoke in a video interview obtained by Saturday PUNCH, said the development was particularly troubling because of his long-standing involvement in restoring democracy to the West African country.

The former president had travelled to Guinea Bissau as part of the West African Elders Forum to monitor the presidential and parliamentary elections.

But while observer missions from the African Union, Economic Community of West African States, and other bodies were still carrying out their duties, the military seized power.

The development left the former Bayelsa State governor and his team stranded and raised concerns over his safety.

Jonathan, who was later evacuated from Guinea Bissau and arrived in Nigeria on Thursday, said the incident unsettled him.

He said, “What happened in Guinea Bissau is quite disturbing to me, a person who believes in democracy. In fact, I feel more pain than the day I called Buhari to congratulate him when I lost the election as a sitting president.

“I have been quite particular about Guinea Bissau. 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.”

He described the situation in Guinea Bissau as bizarre, arguing that it did not fit the usual pattern of a military coup.

Jonathan said President Umaro Embaló’s early announcement of his own “arrest,” while still using his phone to speak to international media, raised questions about the credibility of the claim.

According to him, the Guinea Bissau elections were peaceful as he cited reports from ECOWAS, AU and other observer missions.

He expressed concern that while results were being collated, Embaló announced that a coup had taken place and that he had been detained, even though evidence suggested he was never arrested.

“It is painful for me that President Embaló was the one announcing a military takeover of government. It is totally unacceptable.

“What happened in Guinea Bissau, I would not call it a coup; it was not a coup. For lack of a better word, I will say it was a ceremonial coup because it was President Embaló who announced the coup before the military later came up to address the world that they were in charge of government.

“Embaló had already announced that there was a coup, which is strange. Not only announcing the coup, but Embaló, while the coup took place, was using his phone and addressing media organisations across the world that he had been arrested. I’m a Nigerian close to 70 and I know how they keep Heads of State when a coup takes place.

“They cannot be playing pranks; nobody should call others fools. There is no way there will be a military coup at a time they were about to announce election results and the president was the person who announced the coup. It doesn’t happen anywhere,” Jonathan said.

The former president advised against engaging the military in a battle to take back power and called on ECOWAS and the AU to release the full election results.

Jonathan also called for the release of the main opposition leader, Fernando Dias, from military custody, insisting that he did not commit any offence.

Recounting how he was evacuated, the former president said he was airlifted by the Ivorian government.

Jonathan explained that both Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire had made arrangements to send aircraft to evacuate him and his team, but the Ivorian government secured clearance ahead of Nigeria.

He noted that Côte d’Ivoire’s proximity to Guinea Bissau, coupled with the traditional ties between francophone and lusophone countries, made it easier for them to obtain a landing permit more quickly.

He said the Ivorian aircraft was already en route when Nigeria finally received approval to deploy its own plane.

According to him, once they were informed that the Nigerian aircraft was preparing to take off, his team advised Abuja not to proceed since the Ivorian plane was already close.

This, he added, was why he returned on an Ivorian aircraft, as seen in the photographs taken on his arrival.

shortgun:
I am guessing you live in southern Nigeria where you'll find many road blocks and check points by security operatives extorting road users.

It's a different thing in the North, there are not check points by security agents.
I was surprised when I drove from Abuja to Kano during the heat of boko haram and only encountered 2 check points. One between Abuja and kaduna, the second one in kaduna state as you are approaching the city.
There was no single check point from Kaduna state to Kano state. A journey of about 240 kilometers

Lovenorth:
Please do not generalize, it's fallacious. I am from the North and I so much detest what these useless politicians are doing. It's deliberate that Tinubu invited the bad eggs among us to work with him. It takes one to know one

Gadaffi9ja:
The security situation is bad at the moment and what government mostly do is, after announcing that a number has been rescued, that's d end for the remaining captives, they will be left for their families to fight for, that's what happened with the FGC Yauri students I know.

Nwaikpe:
Some things that are food to some societies are not necessarily a discovery based on ingenuity but on situational conditions.

That is why Africans can "discover" that a leaf called "BITTER LEAF" is actually SWEET.
Not because they undertook any research, but because they were HUNGRY.

press9jatv:
which Osun people. You mean his data boys Abi. Adeleke's defeat is sacrosanct

Nextjs:
It advocated for 6 year single term for presidents. But i think 5 years is enough.

Georgry:
You no really sabi anything, I don't do the PDAPC stuff but Adeleke seem like an ineffective leader, he's not done anything tangible since he became the governor of Osun State, The APC leaders in Osun had already smelled blood that was why they didn't allow him in, he's a goner already.

press9jatv:
I pity Adeleke here, his defeat is imminent

Professor of International Relations and Strategic Studies at Lagos State University, Adewunmi Falode, has called for a review of Nigeria’s constitution to allow a single, non-renewable term of seven years for elected public office holders.

Falode made the call on Tuesday while delivering LASU’s 115th inaugural lecture titled, “Bespoke Solutions: Reimagining, Reifying and Realigning the Wheels of the Nigerian State,” at the Buba Marwa Auditorium of the university.

His call aligned with those of Governor Seyi Makinde, former Governor Peter Obi, economist Pat Utomi, ex-President of the Nigerian Bar Association Wole Olanipekun (SAN), and ex-Deputy President of the Senate Ike Ekweremadu, who have advocated for a single term of between five and six years.

The scholar argued that Nigeria’s current two-term, four-year arrangement is “wasteful” and contributes to an “unstable, combustible and misaligned” political environment.

According to him, the system had consistently failed to deliver the dividends of democracy because elected officials barely enjoyed five months of undistracted governance before becoming entangled in post-election litigation and preparations for another election cycle.

Falode drew parallels with countries such as Mexico and the Philippines, which operate a single six-year term.

With a seven-year single tenure, he said, Nigerian political office holders would have at least four years of stable governance, while the remaining three years could accommodate campaigns and the resolution of election petitions.

The faction of the Peoples Democratic Party aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order nullifying the party’s convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State on November 15 and 16 by the faction aligned with the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde.

The suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/250/2025, has as plaintiffs the PDP, its Acting National Chairman, Mohammed Abdulrahman, and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu.

They are asking the court to declare the convention and all resolutions “null, void and of no effect.”

They want the court to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising the convention.

The move follows earlier legal actions by aggrieved PDP members who argued that proceeding with the convention violated the party’s internal rules, the Electoral Act, and other statutory provisions.

Previous complainants include Imo PDP Chairman Austin Nwachukwu, Abia PDP Chairman Amah Abraham Nnanna, and South-South PDP Secretary Turnah Alabh George.

On October 31, 2025, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja restrained INEC from recognising the convention.

In a separate suit, former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido successfully challenged his exclusion from purchasing a nomination form to contest for national chairman, with Justice Peter Lifu ordering that the convention should not proceed unless he was allowed to obtain the form.

In contrast, Justice A. L. Akintola of the Oyo State High Court, Ibadan, issued an interim order permitting the PDP to hold the convention as scheduled.

Despite the conflicting rulings, the party went ahead with the Ibadan event under heavy security, during which Anyanwu, Wike, former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose, and eight others were expelled.

In the new suit dated November 21, the plaintiffs listed 18 defendants, including INEC, the Inspector-General of Police, the FCT Commissioner of Police, the State Security Service, and several PDP officials.

They allege the convention was conducted “in flagrant disregard” of three subsisting Federal High Court orders and seek to prevent recognition of the new officers, restore access to party offices at Wadata Plaza and Legacy House, and compel security agencies to enforce the earlier judgments.

The plaintiffs also request judicial determination on whether any authority can lawfully recognise the Ibadan convention in light of the Constitution, the Electoral Act, and the PDP constitution.

The suit has not yet been assigned to a judge, and no hearing date has been fixed.

AgentNnamdi:
No. They are not trained that way.

FreeStuffsNG:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjDe1D8NlOY?si=AP0X42IhFvKfG0Kq



https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2y2le8lx1o