Nigeria Offers Asylum to Guinea-Bissau Presidential Candidate After Coup

Thu Dec 04 2025 03:44:45 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In the wake of a military coup in Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria has granted asylum to presidential candidate Fernando Dias, who faced threats and sought refuge after the tumultuous electoral process.

Fernando Dias da Costa, a presidential candidate from Guinea-Bissau, has been granted asylum in Nigeria following a recent coup that interrupted the electoral process. Dias was under threat after the military takeover, prompting Nigeria to offer him protection at its embassy in Bissau. Ecowas has intervened, urging the junta to restore democratic norms as tensions in the country escalate.

Nigeria has granted asylum to Guinea-Bissau presidential candidate Fernando Dias da Costa just days after a coup prevented the results of the recent election from being announced.

The 47-year-old, who ran as a candidate for the Party for Social Renewal, was under special protection at the Nigerian embassy following threats made against him, Nigeria's foreign minister stated.

Dias was the main challenger to Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who was seeking a second term as president and has since left the country following the military takeover.

A delegation from the West African bloc Ecowas is present in Guinea-Bissau, urging the military to relinquish power and announce the electoral results.

Both Embaló and Dias had previously claimed victory in the presidential poll held on 23 November.

The PAIGC party, a historical liberation movement, was barred from fielding a candidate in these elections.

The coup transpired three days after the vote; the military suspended the electoral process, blocked the release of the results, and claimed to act against a plot intended to destabilize the country.

The junta has further imposed restrictions, banning all public demonstrations in an effort to maintain order.

Tensions remain high in the capital, Bissau, where PAIGC reported that armed militia groups illegally invaded their headquarters after the coup.

Domingos Pereira, the leader of the PAIGC, was reportedly arrested on the day of the coup.

Dias recounted how he fled his campaign headquarters while armed men arrived to detain him.

Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar mentioned that President Bola Tinubu had agreed to provide Dias protection within the Nigerian embassy in Bissau.

This asylum decision signifies Nigeria's commitment to uphold democratic aspirations in Guinea-Bissau.

Colonial history plays a backdrop here, as Guinea-Bissau has been marked by political instability, with several coups in the past five decades, primarily driven by its strategic location and drug trafficking culture.