Tinubu joins West African leaders in virtual ECOWAS summit on Guinea-Bissau crisis
By Kunle Sanni –
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday participated in a high-level virtual summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), where regional leaders convened via Zoom to deliberate on the escalating political situation in Guinea-Bissau.
The meeting, which President Tinubu joined from the Presidential Villa in Abuja, brought together heads of state to assess stability concerns in the country and consider coordinated diplomatic responses.
A day before official results were expected to be announced from the country’s presidential election, soldiers opened fire near the presidential palace and the National Electoral Commission headquarters in the capital, Bissau.
The junta leader later appeared on state television, declaring that they had seized power and alleging a plot to “manipulate electoral results.”
The top two candidates in Guinea-Bissau’s presidential race—incumbent Umaro Sissoco Embaló and main challenger Fernando Dias—each announced victory before the official results were released.
Both campaigns stated on Monday that their candidate had surpassed the 50 percent threshold required for an outright win, thereby avoiding a run-off.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan had travelled to the West African nation as part of a joint African Union, ECOWAS, and West African Elders Forum delegation monitoring last weekend’s presidential election when the takeover occurred.
