- Party unveils global media offensive, fundraising drive, rapid-response hub to defend economic reforms
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has unveiled an international mobilisation and media strategy aimed at countering negative narratives about President Bola Tinubu’s administration, defending its economic reforms and rallying support for his re-election in 2027.
The initiative seeks to mobilise Nigerians living across Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North America through coordinated digital advocacy, overseas party structures, diaspora fundraising and grassroots voter mobilisation ahead of the next presidential election.
The Director of the PBAT/APC 2027 Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) Directorate of Diaspora Mobilisation, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, disclosed the strategy at a press briefing in Abuja, describing Nigerians abroad as a strategic constituency whose financial contributions, professional expertise and international networks could be harnessed to advance the administration’s political and development agenda.
Under the initiative, the APC plans to activate its diaspora chapters, engage community leaders and professional associations, and establish a rapid-response mechanism to challenge what it considers misinformation about the government and its policies.
Dabiri-Erewa said the mobilisation drive would extend beyond registered APC members to Nigerians abroad willing to support the campaign.
“Nigerians abroad are not outsiders. They are stakeholders. They are our doctors, nurses, engineers, students, traders, innovators and community leaders, who send over $20 billion annually back home in remittances,” she said.
She identified the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Australia, Turkey, India and Kazakhstan as priority countries for the mobilisation exercise.
The directorate also intends to work with diaspora associations, community organisations and influential Nigerians abroad to expand the campaign’s reach and communicate the administration’s position on economic reforms and national development.
At the centre of the strategy is a digital advocacy initiative tagged Operation Tell Your Story, through which supporters will receive short videos, infographics and other communication materials highlighting the administration’s policies and achievements.
The campaign is expected to focus on foreign exchange reforms, foreign reserves, support for small businesses, housing programmes and opportunities for students, while seeking to challenge claims the directorate considers misleading.
Dabiri-Erewa also announced plans to establish a rapid-response hub to provide data, fact-check public claims and disseminate information about Nigeria’s investment climate, economic stabilisation efforts and prospects under Tinubu’s leadership.
“Our directorate will serve as a rapid-response hub in case of misinformation about Nigeria and the administration. We will provide credible data, fact-check and positive narratives about Nigeria’s investment climate, stabilisation of the economy and the future under President Tinubu,” she said.
The proposed media offensive comes amid sustained public debate over the administration’s economic policies, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy and changes to the foreign exchange system, which have significantly affected households and businesses.
While acknowledging the hardship associated with subsidy removal, Dabiri-Erewa defended the policy as a necessary step towards addressing structural weaknesses in the economy.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has decided not to manage our feelings, but to fix the system. And it takes a bold leader to do that,” she said.
She argued that Nigerians abroad could help explain the rationale behind the reforms to their relatives and communities at home, drawing on their understanding of the country’s previous economic arrangements and the challenges associated with them.
Despite the APC’s planned communication drive, the party faces the challenge of convincing voters that the administration’s reforms are delivering tangible benefits commensurate with the economic sacrifices many Nigerians have endured.
The success of the initiative will depend not only on the reach of its messaging but also on the credibility of its claims and the extent to which the government’s performance can be demonstrated through measurable economic outcomes.
For many voters, issues such as inflation, food prices, purchasing power, employment and business operating costs are likely to remain central to their assessment of the administration ahead of the 2027 election.
The diaspora campaign is therefore expected to play a dual role: defending the government’s policy direction internationally while encouraging Nigerians at home to assess the administration’s stated objectives and achievements.
Beyond digital advocacy, the APC intends to establish structured fundraising platforms to mobilise financial contributions from Nigerians abroad for campaign activities.
According to Dabiri-Erewa, the proposed funds would support campaign communication materials, voter education, town hall meetings and grassroots mobilisation.
She said the arrangements would emphasise transparency and accountability but did not disclose a fundraising target or provide details of the proposed platforms.
The directorate also plans to encourage diaspora Nigerians to participate in voter education by reminding eligible relatives and community members to register, collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and turn out for the election.
Its homecoming mobilisation component will seek to encourage Nigerians abroad to return to their communities, engage local stakeholders and participate more actively in the country’s political process.
In a related development, Dabiri-Erewa urged the National Assembly to consider constitutional and legal reforms that would enable Nigerians living abroad to vote in the country’s elections.
She acknowledged that diaspora voting remained a subject of debate but expressed optimism that lawmakers would address the issue, potentially expanding the formal participation of Nigerians abroad in Nigeria’s electoral process.
Dabiri-Erewa, who also heads the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), said the commission had established a registration portal for Nigerians living outside the country and put the estimated diaspora population at more than 17 million.
She further urged Nigerians to monitor how state and local governments utilise increased allocations following the removal of the petrol subsidy, stressing that higher public revenue should be accompanied by accountability and transparency in expenditure.
Other members of the directorate also defended the administration’s economic policies, acknowledging the difficulties associated with the reforms while arguing that the expected benefits would take time to materialise.
They identified investment, skills transfer, business partnerships and collaboration with government institutions as additional channels through which Nigerians abroad could contribute to national development.
Dabiri-Erewa called on the media to support the directorate’s communication efforts, saying the campaign would emphasise continuity, national development and Tinubu’s stated ambition to move Nigeria from economic reforms to prosperity.
The strategy underscores the APC’s determination to make diaspora engagement a more organised component of its 2027 re-election campaign, using international networks to influence public perceptions, mobilise resources and strengthen political support at home.
However, the extent to which the initiative translates into electoral gains remains uncertain. While Nigerians abroad can influence conversations within families, professional circles and communities, the decisive test will be whether voters believe the administration’s policies have improved their living conditions and created credible prospects for economic recovery.
As the 2027 presidential election approaches, the APC’s diaspora mobilisation drive is set to become part of a broader contest over the interpretation of Tinubu’s economic record, with the party seeking to frame the reforms as necessary foundations for future prosperity while opposition parties and critics continue to scrutinise their social and economic consequences.
