Senegal's prime minister and Nigeria's former president have both said they do not believe the ousting of Guinea-Bissau's president by the country's military was a genuine coup.
Former President Umaro Sissoco Embaló's apparent removal came a day before authorities were due to announce election results.
The military has since suspended the electoral process and blocked the results' release, and has insisted it thwarted a plot to destabilise the politically unstable country.
Senegal's PM Ousmane Sonko and Nigeria's ex-leader Goodluck Jonathan demanded the presidential election results be released, but did not provide evidence to support their claims that the coup was fabricated.
The ex-president arrived in neighbouring Senegal on a chartered military flight late on Thursday, following his release by the military forces who toppled his government.
Nigeria's former leader Jonathan, who led a team of election observers from the West African Elders Forum to Guinea-Bissau, said the incident 'was not a coup'.
He described it as a 'ceremonial coup', questioning the events that preceded Wednesday's announcement of a power grab by the military.
Meanwhile, Senegal's Sonko told lawmakers that 'what happened in Guinea-Bissau was a sham'.
Both leaders' statements add to claims from the opposition that the coup was staged, although no evidence has been presented to support this. Embaló has not commented on the allegations.
On Friday, Guinea-Bissau's transitional leader Gen Horta N'Tam appointed Ilidio Vieira Té, previously the finance minister, as the new prime minister.
Additionally, the African Union suspended Guinea-Bissau following the unconstitutional military takeover, while the West African bloc ECOWAS urged the military to return to their barracks.
Guinea-Bissau, a coup-prone West African nation, faces challenges related to drug trafficking.
The military claims they are in power to thwart a plot by unnamed politicians who had 'the support of a well-known drug baron' to destabilise the country.
Public reactions vary; while some residents applaud the military's intervention, others express concern about potential chaos.
