Coup: Nigeria grants asylum to Guinea-Bissau's opposition presidential candidate

The Nigerian government has granted special protection to the Guinea-Bissau presidential candidate, Fernando Costa, due to reports of imminent threats to his life.

Join the Premium Times WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.

Open in WhatsApp

Mr Costa had been the main opposition candidate to incumbent President Umaro Embalo in the 2025 presidential election, held on 23 November.

However, hours before the results were to be announced, the military seized power, suspended elections, and imposed a curfew.

According to the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Bola Tinubu had approved the decision to place Mr Dias under protection within the Nigerian Embassy premises in Guinea-Bissau.

A letter addressed to the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray, dated 30 November, and signed by the Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, stated that the decision reflects Nigeria’s commitment to safeguarding democratic processes and ensuring the safety of political actors in the region.

The letter also requested ECOWAS to direct its Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau to provide Mr Da Costa with additional protection within the embassy grounds.

“I write to inform you that His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GON, has graciously approved the provision of protection and security in the premises of the Nigerian Embassy in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, for Mr Fernando Dia Da Costa. Mr President’s decision is a proactive measure to ensure the safety of Mr Da Costa in response to imminent threats to his life.

Stay Ahead with Premium Times

Add as a preferred source on Google

“The decision to accommodate Mr Da Costa within the Nigerian premises underscores our firm commitment to safeguarding the democratic aspirations and the sovereign will of the good people of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau.

“In this regard, it would be appreciated if you would kindly mandate the ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ESSMGB) to provide him protection and security while in the premises of the Nigerian Embassy,” the letter read in part.

Controversy surrounding the coup

Since the news broke, the coup has drawn criticism across West Africa, with several governments and regional blocs calling for a return to constitutional order.

However, some leaders have also accused the ousted president, Mr Embalo, of staging the coup to prevent the announcement of the election result.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Nigeria’s former president, Goodluck Jonathan, who led the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission to monitor the election, said Mr Embaló’s swift declaration to international media on his phone that he had been “arrested” cast doubt on the plausibility of the claim.

“What happened in Guinea-Bissau, I would not call it a coup; it was not a coup. For lack of a better word, I will say it was a ceremonial coup because it was President Embaló who announced the coup before the military later came up to address the world that they were in charge of the government,” he said.

Similarly, Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko described the coup as a sham.

“What happened in Guinea-Bissau was a sham. We want the electoral process to continue. The (electoral) commission must be able to declare the winner,” he said.

PREMIUM TIMES also reported that political coalitions supporting Mr Dias called the takeover a last-minute bid by Mr Embaló and his allies to stop the announcement of results.

On the asylum granted to the opposition candidate, the spokesperson to the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alkasim Abdulkadir, told PREMIUM TIMES that the government acted in the broader interest of de-escalation.

He said, “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.”

“This intervention is guided solely by the imperatives of peace, human security, and regional stability, in line with ECOWAS principles and Nigeria’s historic role as a stabilising force in West Africa,” he said.