Former President Goodluck Jonathan has spoken about how he returned to Nigeria using a plane provided by Côte d’Ivoire after unrest broke out in Guinea-Bissau. He explained that President Bola Tinubu had also arranged for a jet, but the Ivorian aircraft received landing clearance first.
Jonathan had traveled to Guinea-Bissau as the head of the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission. His comments came during an interview posted on Symfoni’s YouTube channel, marking his first public statement since reports of gunfire and possible coup attempts surfaced in the country.
He said he wanted to speak “to thank Nigerians for the show of empathy and encouragement” after the incident, adding that he was aware of how worried people were back home.
“While we were in Bissau and this so-called coup happened, the information we got was that the whole country was agitated, young and old, irrespective of religious or political divides,” he said.
Jonathan confirmed that both President Tinubu and President Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire had made plans to fly him and his team out of Bissau. The Ivorian aircraft was able to land first, which is why he returned aboard that plane.
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