From Victor Osula Abuja
The Federal Government of Nigeria has taken a decisive step to protect Fernando Dia Da Costa, an opposition presidential candidate in Guinea-Bissau’s November 2025 elections, by granting him refuge within the Nigerian Embassy in Bissau.
In a letter to the President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Omar Alieu Touray, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, disclosed that President Bola Tinubu approved the measure following credible reports of threats to Da Costa’s life.
Military officers in Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday announced they had assumed “total control” of the country, suspending the electoral process barely three days after a tense vote in which both President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition contender Da Costa claimed victory
Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who led the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission, dismissed the so-called coup as a staged political drama orchestrated by Embaló.
Jonathan, upon returning to Nigeria, said he was “surprised and embarrassed” that it was the president who first announced the coup before the military later claimed responsibility—an unusual sequence inconsistent with a genuine military takeover.
In his correspondence to ECOWAS, Tuggar said providing sanctuary for Da Costa was a proactive security intervention, reflecting Nigeria’s commitment to defending democratic processes and protecting the sovereign will of Guinea-Bissau’s citizens.
“The President’s decision is a proactive measure to ensure the safety of Mr. Da Costa in response to imminent threats to his life,” Tuggar stated.
He added that the move “underscores our firm commitment to safeguarding the democratic aspirations of the good people of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau.”
Nigeria has also asked the ECOWAS Commission to instruct its Stabilization Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ESSMGB) to provide additional protection for Da Costa while he remains within the embassy premises.
Ambassador Tuggar reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness to support ECOWAS in its wider efforts to uphold peace, stability, and credible democratic processes across West Africa.
