By Charles Pemu 
Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan is currently trapped in Guinea-Bissau, along with hundreds of international election observers, after military officers announced a successful government takeover. The coup occurred just as the official results of the nation’s November 23, 2025, presidential and legislative elections were imminently expected.
According to reports, hundreds of foreign observers, including members of the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) mission led by Jonathan, rushed to the airport following the news of the coup but found themselves stranded as the borders were immediately sealed.
Calling themselves the “High Military Command for the Restoration of Order,” the coup leaders formally announced the seizure of power, ordering the immediate suspension of the electoral process “until further notice.” They also mandated the closure of all land, air, and sea borders and imposed an overnight curfew.
The military intervention followed days of severe political tension, during which both the incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias prematurely claimed victory despite the electoral commission withholding the official results.
President Embaló confirmed his detention in a phone call to France24, stating, “I have been deposed.” He revealed he was being held at the general staff headquarters. Further reports indicated that the head of the main opposition PAIGC party, Domingos Simoes Pereira, was also arrested.
The officer leading the coup, identified as Denis N’Canha, held the position of head of the presidential guard, meaning the commander responsible for the President’s protection ultimately detained him.
Former President Jonathan had arrived in Bissau as the head of the WAEF Election Mission to monitor the critical polls. He had documented his mission’s progress on social media, expressing wishes for a peaceful and transparent electoral exercise.
His final updates noted the WAEF team was conducting visits to polling stations, expressing hope for a “smooth voting process and a peaceful, stable post-election period.” The subsequent imposition of a strict security lockdown has placed the former Nigerian leader and his mission team in a delicate and unexpected diplomatic and security predicament.