Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has clarified the roles played by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Côte d’Ivoire’s President Alassane Ouattara in the evacuation of Nigerian delegates during the recent political unrest in Guinea-Bissau.
In a brief statement shared on Friday, the former Nigerian leader expressed gratitude to both West African presidents for their swift intervention following the attempted coup in the country.
According to him, “I thank President Tinubu and President Ouattara. Both sent planes to evacuate us during the Guinea-Bissau coup.”
He explained that Côte d’Ivoire’s aircraft arrived first because of its geographical proximity and quicker clearance process.
“Côte d’Ivoire is closer and got landing permit faster due to regional ties,” he said.
Jonathan added that once the Ivorian aircraft had landed and evacuation was assured, his team advised Nigeria to hold back its deployment.
“We asked Nigeria to stand down since the Ivorian plane had arrived,” he clarified.
The former President’s explanation comes amid public debate over which country facilitated the rescue mission and whether Nigeria acted promptly.
As of press time, the Nigerian Government has not issued any additional statement on the evacuation operations.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
