Nigeria has granted asylum and special protection to Guinea-Bissau opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa.
The decision, approved by President Bola Tinubu, follows a military coup in the Portuguese-speaking West African nation and reports of imminent threats to Da Costa’s life.
The development also comes days after the Guinea-Bissau military seized power, suspended elections, and imposed a curfew on November 26, shortly before the announcement of presidential election results.
Both Mr. Da Costa and the incumbent President, Umaro Embaló, had claimed victory in the disputed poll.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued by Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government said it was deeply concerned about the coup and called for an immediate restoration of constitutional order.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said it would work closely with partners to take all necessary measures to ensure a “swift return” to normalcy.
In a letter addressed to Omar Touray, president of the ECOWAS commission, Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s minister of foreign affairs, said Tinubu had approved the protection of the Guinea-Bissau opposition candidate within the Nigerian embassy in Guinea-Bissau.
“In this regard, it would be appreciated if you would kindly mandate the ECOWAS Stabilization Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ESSMGB) to provide him protection and security while in the premises of the Nigerian embassy,” the letter said.
Alkasim Abdulkadir, Tuggar’s special assistant on media and communications strategy, confirmed the letter’s authenticity on Monday.
“The decision of the Federal Government of Nigeria to grant asylum and provide protection to Mr. Fernando Dia Da Costa falls squarely within Nigeria’s sovereign responsibility and longstanding commitment to regional peace, stability, and democratic governance,” Abdulkadir said in a statement.
“Acting in the broader interest of de-escalation, Nigeria exercised its lawful discretion to prevent further deterioration of tensions and to promote social cohesion in Guinea-Bissau and the wider West African sub-region.”
Abdulkadir said the intervention is guided by the imperatives of peace, human security, and regional stability, in line with ECOWAS principles and Nigeria’s role as a stabilising force in West Africa.
After the coup, the regional bloc convened an emergency virtual summit of heads of state and government on the situation.
ECOWAS later suspended Guinea-Bissau from the bloc, noting that the action would last until constitutional order is restored in the country.
Recall also that former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who was recently evacuated from Guinea-Bissau dropped a political bombshell, stating that the military takeover in the country was “not a coup” in the conventional sense, but rather a ceremonial coup.
The former President, who was leading the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission, described the circumstances surrounding the incident as “deeply disturbing” and suggested the event may have been staged by the incumbent President, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, to derail the announcement of election results.
Addressing journalists in Abuja following his evacuation after the Guinea-Bissau coup, Jonathan noted that the official pronouncement of the coup was made not by the military, but by President Embaló himself, who claimed he had been arrested.
