By Ismaeel Aleem
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has commended President Bola Tinubu for granting asylum and protection to Fernando Dia Da Costa, the opposition presidential candidate in Guinea-Bissau’s recent election.
The party, however, challenged the President to demonstrate the same commitment to democratic principles within Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Monday by National Publicity Secretary Comrade Ini Ememobong, the PDP noted that the decision announced by Foreign Affairs Minister Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar was intended to shield Da Costa from life-threatening danger, preserve the democratic aspirations of Guinea-Bissau’s citizens, and reinforce Nigeria’s role in promoting regional peace and stability.
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While welcoming the intervention as a positive contribution to West African democracy, the main opposition party insisted that Tinubu must now apply identical standards at home.
“The philosophical underpinning that catalysed Nigeria’s intervention in Guinea-Bissau should also guide the President’s conduct domestically,” the statement read.
“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 PDP accused elements within the President’s cabinet and political machinery of openly orchestrating, funding, and engineering crises in major opposition parties, thereby constricting Nigeria’s political space.
It highlighted the growing trend of coercing elected opposition officials to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the deliberate sponsorship of internal disputes that weaken opposition platforms.
Although acknowledging that the President is not obliged to assist opposition parties, the PDP stressed that he bears a constitutional responsibility to ensure Nigeria’s political environment remains free, open, and competitive, warning that failure to curb these activities risks pushing the country towards a de facto one-party state.
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The party therefore tasked Tinubu with promptly reining in anti-democratic forces within his administration to prevent the steady erosion of multi-party democracy in Nigeria.
