An exiled opposition figure from the Republic of Benin, Romaric Boco, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to spearhead an urgent regional mediation effort, warning that his country is edging dangerously close to civil war.

Boco, Special Envoy of the opposition party Les Démocrates for International Mobilization and Regional Dialogue, said in a letter to Tinubu that systematic persecution of opposition leaders, manipulated elections and the aftermath of a failed coup have pushed Benin to what he described as its “darkest hour.”

Les Démocrates, led by former Beninese president Boni Yayi, has long accused President Patrice Talon’s administration of shrinking civic and political space. Boco, a former member of the Political Bureau of the pro-government Bloc Républicain before defecting to the opposition, claimed that several opposition leaders remain behind bars following the December 7, 2025 coup attempt.

He alleged that some opponents have been assassinated and that his own wife was arrested when security forces failed to find him at home, forcing him into exile in Europe. From there, he said he now speaks “on behalf of Benin’s democratic resistance.”

Boco’s letter denounced the January 11 legislative elections, which produced a National Assembly made up entirely of pro-government deputies, and alleged that opposition candidates have been effectively barred from contesting the forthcoming presidential poll. Such an arrangement, he warned, strips the process of legitimacy and risks provoking violent unrest.

He urged Tinubu, as chair of a key regional power and leader of a country that shares a long border and deep economic ties with Benin, to convene and facilitate an inclusive national dialogue bringing together the government, opposition, civil society and regional mediators before the presidential vote.

Boco requested a personal audience with Tinubu and asked for help in securing meetings with influential Nigerian governors to build support for a mediation framework aimed at restoring what he called “constitutional order” in Benin.

His appeal also highlighted Nigeria’s decisive role in helping to foil the December 2025 coup attempt, when Nigerian fighter jets and ground troops were deployed at Cotonou’s request after a group of soldiers, styling themselves the Military Committee for Refoundation, briefly seized key installations and announced the removal of President Talon.

By invoking that intervention, Boco framed Nigeria not only as Benin’s security guarantor but as a potential arbiter of its deepening political crisis, arguing that Nigerian engagement could prevent chaos and safeguard stability across West Africa.