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Nigeria has offered asylum to Guinea-Bissau opposition figure Fernando Dias da Costa, who contested last week’s elections against the now-deposed president Umaro Sissoco, a foreign affairs official confirmed on Monday in Abuja.
The military seized control of the politically unstable, Portuguese-speaking country on Wednesday, just one day before provisional national election results were scheduled for release.
Following the takeover, the influential opposition African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) reported that its headquarters had been “illegally invaded by heavily armed militia groups” in the capital, Bissau.
According to a leaked correspondence by Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar—circulated by Nigerian media—Dias has received “protection and security” at the Nigerian embassy in Bissau.
“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,” foreign minister’s spokesman Alkasim Abdulkadir, said in a text to AFP.
“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.
He said the decision to intervene was “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”.
According to AFP, the opposition politician was convinced he had won the November 23 election, accusing Embalo — who has also declared himself the victor — of having “organised” the takeover to block him from assuming office.
Dias recounted that he fled his campaign headquarters on Wednesday when armed men arrived intending to arrest him.
Embalo, the outgoing leader, was detained on Wednesday but was permitted the following day to travel to neighbouring Senegal, before later continuing on to Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, over the weekend.
