PDP URGES TINUBU TO EXTEND PROTECTION TO NIGERIAN OPPOSITION AFTER ASYLUM FOR GUINEA-BISSAU CANDIDATE
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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to guarantee the safety and democratic freedoms of opposition figures in Nigeria, following his decision to grant asylum and security protection to Guinea-Bissau’s opposition presidential candidate, Fernando Dia Da Costa.
The Federal Government, through the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, and his media aide, Alkasim Abdulkadir, announced that Tinubu approved the protective measure to shield Da Costa from threats to his life and to “safeguard the democratic aspirations of the people of Guinea-Bissau.” The move aligns with Nigeria’s long-standing commitment to promoting regional peace and stability.
In a statement issued on Monday, the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Emomobong, commended the gesture but insisted that the President must uphold the same democratic values within Nigeria.
“While noting this intervention aimed at preserving peace and democracy in Guinea-Bissau and, by extension, the West African sub-region, the PDP urges President Tinubu to apply the same democratic principles at home,” Emomobong said.
He accused elements within the President’s cabinet and political structure of undermining democracy by “orchestrating, funding, and engineering crises in major opposition parties.”
The PDP noted that while the President is not obliged to assist opposition parties, he bears a constitutional responsibility to maintain a political environment that is “free, open, and competitive.”
“Presently, this space is being constricted through coercion of elected officials to defect to the ruling party and the sponsorship of crises in opposition parties,” the statement added.
The party urged Tinubu to ensure that the democratic ideals guiding Nigeria’s intervention in Guinea-Bissau also inform his conduct domestically to prevent “a slide toward a one-party state.”
“You cannot present yourself as a defender of democracy in the sub-region while enabling anti-democratic practices at home that undermine democratic institutions and processes,” Emomobong said.
Guinea-Bissau has been in turmoil since the November 23, 2025 general election, during which both incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition candidate Da Costa declared victory before official results were released.
The dispute escalated on November 27, when military officers announced a coup, seized government institutions, and suspended the electoral process. Amid the chaos, threats to the lives of opposition figures including Da Costa intensified.
On November 30, Foreign Affairs Minister Tuggar sought and obtained Tinubu’s approval to provide protection for Da Costa at the Nigerian Embassy in Bissau.
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