The aftermath of the campaign in Guinea Bissau has revealed that General Umaro Sissoco Embalo with the support of Engr. Nuno Nabiam, José Mário Vaz (outgoing President), Carlos Gomes Junior and other heavyweight politicians aligning to project him gave him the popularity advantage as all these men made it to 3rd, 4th, 5th etc on the first round of the election.

I have been in elections as a journalist, but I can’t convincingly say I have ever seen the tsunami of the turnout of people I witnessed in Bissau on 27th December, 2019. (Photo Attached)

But this is not my point of discussion. Just a few hours before the election, a mole on the side of Domingos have leaked an audio of the Electoral Body Chairman Juiz Jose Pedro Sambu swearing that notwithstanding USE is likely to win the election on 29th, he will do everything to ensure that he doesn’t become the president of Guinea Bissau by announcing DSP as the winner.

This takes to mind the repeated incidences of 2015 and 2019 in Nigeria where the two Electoral Heads played the role of defeating Nigerians in favour of their chosen man. But while Nigerians sucked it in and moved on, this scenario may play out differently in Bissau for few factors.

1. Sissico is Fula (Fulani) who has vowed that if their son is not given his position out of man made error, it will trigger a revolt of tremendous impact. Such a threat should not be treated with levity because they are one of the two largest population in the whole of Guinea Bissau.
2. Engr Nuno Nabiam is a Balanta and Christian, but the Balantas will not like to have their son cheated out because they know they have better stake if their son is working with SIssoco as the president.

Recall I said these alliances had generated a Tsunami of support and it will take a simple error of omission or commission or an unguarded reaction from the leaders to turn this country into a bomb because they have the total love and support of their people.

Therefore, I shudder at the thought of having a situation where the kind of people I saw in Bissau should have reason to revolt because one man feels his will must overrule the will of the whole nation.

This is a situation the ECOWAS must not allowed to prevail because I believe that preventing a fire is easier than fighting it. 

ECOWAS should prevail on the actors cooking this danger to desist from it and allow the will of the people to take its course and save this republic from eating the bad food being cooked for them by infinitesimal few.

DSP must not rule Guineans if they say no because they have awoken to the consciousness that after having independence, they really need freedom from PAIGC and their allies.