Nigeria grants asylum to Guinea-Bissau presidential candidate after coup

Nigeria has granted asylum to Guinea-Bissau presidential candidate Fernando Dias, days after a coup blocked the announcement of election results.

The 47-year-old, representing the Party for Social Renewal, had been under protection at the Nigerian embassy following reported threats, Nigeria’s foreign minister said. Dias was the main challenger to Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who was seeking a second term and has since left the country after the military takeover.

A delegation from the West African bloc ECOWAS has urged the junta to step aside and release the vote results. Both Embaló and Dias had claimed victory in the November 23 presidential election, while the PAIGC party, a historic liberation movement, was barred from fielding a candidate.

The coup occurred three days after the vote, with the military suspending the electoral process, blocking results, and citing the need to prevent a plot to destabilise the country. The junta has since imposed restrictions, banning demonstrations and other actions deemed to threaten peace. Tensions remain high in Bissau, where PAIGC headquarters were reportedly stormed by heavily armed militia, and party leader Domingos Pereira was arrested on the day of the coup.