I didn’t desire third term, I responded to plea of Guinean women – Conde

• He says he stood for the controversial term upon pleas by Guinean women

• He was deposed by Elite Forces on September 5

Deposed Guinean president Alpha Conde has said he never personally wished to run for a third term.

According to a report by Jeune Afrique – an influential French language news portal, Conde said it was “the women of Guinea” who requested his candidacy for a third term and “financed” his campaign.

A September 5 coup by Elite Forces deposed Conde who was barely a year into his controversial third term after a controversial referendum and presidential vote last year.

Conde has not been seen since viral photos and videos showed him in the custody of masked soldiers who have since held him at a unknown location.

Leader of the coup, Mamady Doumbouya, stated corruption, rights abuse and economic hardships as basis for the takeover when he announced a dissolution of the government and closure of all borders.

The regional ECOWAS bloc sent a delegation of three Foreign Ministers – from Ghana, Burkina Faso and Togo – to engage with the Elite Forces.

The delegation confirmed that Conde was doing well when they had the opportunity to meet him before meeting Doumbouya and his officers.

Conde, a long time opposition figure, was elected president in 2010 and was supposed to exit in 2020 after two five-year terms but he pushed through a referendum and subsequently won elections late last year.