The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to demonstrate the same level of commitment to democratic protection in Nigeria as he recently did in Guinea-Bissau, where he approved asylum and security protection for opposition presidential candidate Fernando Dia Da Costa.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, had announced in a letter to the President of the Economic Community of West African States Commission, Omar Touray, that President Bola Tinubu had approved asylum and protection for da Costa inside the Nigerian embassy in Bissau in response to threats made against da Costa’s life. The Minister had said the decision falls squarely within Nigeria’s sovereign responsibility and longstanding commitment to regional peace, stability, and democratic governance.

While commending the intervention, the PDP said President Tinubu must extend similar democratic safeguards to the political environment at home.

In a statement signed by National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the party accused elements within the president’s cabinet and political network of “orchestrating, funding, and engineering crises” in major opposition parties.

The opposition party further alleged that Nigeria’s political space is increasingly being “constricted,” citing reported cases of pressure on elected officials to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the alleged sponsorship of internal crises within rival parties.

Though acknowledging that the president is not obliged to support opposition parties, the PDP insisted he holds a constitutional responsibility to maintain a free, open and competitive democratic system.

The party argued that the principles behind Tinubu’s intervention in Guinea-Bissau should guide his domestic actions to prevent Nigeria from “sliding toward a one-party state.”

“The President must act promptly in defence of democracy in Nigeria,” the PDP warned. “He cannot present himself as a defender of democracy in the sub-region while enabling anti-democratic practices at home that undermine democratic institutions and processes.”

The party urged the president to address what it described as internal anti-democratic tendencies and ensure that Nigeria’s democratic institutions remain strong and credible.

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