The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has criticised the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over reports that the Federal Government approved a $9 million lobbying contract in the United States, accusing it of prioritising image laundering abroad over pressing security and economic challenges at home.

In a statement posted on Wednesday via X, the party’s spokesperson, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, described the expenditure as “obscene” and evidence of “misplaced priorities and moral blindness,” especially at a time when millions of Nigerians are grappling with rising food prices, fuel costs, and limited access to basic healthcare.

“No government in Africa has ever committed such an obscene sum to a short-term public relations exercise,” the ADC said, while acknowledging the importance of international engagement.


The party argued that spending $9 million on image management amid widespread hardship was unjustifiable.

The ADC further described the move as an admission of diplomatic failure, noting that several key ambassadorial positions remain vacant.

According to the party, relying on foreign lobbyists instead of strengthening Nigeria’s diplomatic corps weakens institutional credibility and reduces foreign policy to “transactional propaganda.”

The party called on the Tinubu administration to redirect public resources toward addressing insecurity, economic hardship, and strengthening Nigeria’s diplomatic institutions rather than pursuing what it termed an image-repair campaign abroad.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has explained that the Permanent Voter Card is the only weapon for the people of Oyo State to shape their future.

Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in the state, Dr Adeniran Tella said this at a press conference on Wednesday in Ibadan, the state capital.

Tella while addressing journalists, lamented that hundreds of PVCs have not been collected.


He appealed to those whose PVCs are still lying fallow at the INEC offices to take bold step and collect them on time.

He added that the PVC is the only instrument the people can use to vote during elections.

Adeniran, noted that the PVC is not only a piece of document, but a license to shape the future.

The REC maintained that the commission has identified some challenges and is ready to tackle them ahead of the 2027 general elections, adding that the commission is ready to conduct free and fair elections in 2027.

Adeniran said, “Your voter’s card is not just a piece of PVC; it is your license to shape the future, to choose your leaders and to hold them accountable. So, the electorate should not be left out in collecting their PVCs.

“Let me assure you that the commission is committed to conducting this exercise with the highest levels of integrity, transparency and efficiency.

“The commission therefore counts on the cooperation of the media to disseminate this information and to also encourage full participation of both eligible registrants to register and those who are yet to collect their PVCs to do the needful at this second Phase of the ongoing CVR exercise. Together, let us build a robust voter register that truly reflects the democratic will of the electorate.

“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the media, having reviewed the challenges and feedback from the initial Phase, one message was clear: accessibility remains a key hurdle.

To bridge this gap, however, the Commission is implementing a pioneering state-wide strategy, which is the rotational movement of INEC Voter Enrollment Device, IVED, machines across 351 Registration Areas”.

Lai Mohammed, a former Minister of Information and culture has disclosed how he deployed a two-pronged campaign strategy that helped the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu to win the 2023 elections.

Mohammed disclosed this in his recently inaugurated book, “Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments that Defined an Administration,” which chronicled his experiences as a minister under the late President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

It would be recalled that ahead of the 2023 elections, Buhari had warned ministers, permanent secretaries, and heads of government agencies to refrain from abandoning their primary assignments for political campaigns.

The late President, who gave the directive at the end of a two-day 2022 Ministerial Performance Review Retreat in Abuja, had warned that any infraction of the order would attract sanctions.

Mohammed, however, narrated that, without prejudice to the presidential directive, he deployed campaign strategies, not through rallies or rhetoric, but by defending truth, documenting performance, and ensuring that history was not rewritten by propaganda.

The former minister recalled that ahead of the elections, the prevailing narrative within the opposition was that the APC-led Buhari administration had failed to achieve anything substantial, and nothing warranted the party’s return to power.

He said the opposition figures actively propagated the claim, clearly part of an orchestrated campaign, that the ruling APC had no achievements to campaign on.

Mohammed said the assertion was neither factual nor grounded in reality, but a deliberate strategy to discredit the administration and by extension, the APC and Tinubu ahead of the polls.

“As the popular aphorism goes, ‘Say it loud, say it often, and it no longer matters if it’s true”

“Fully aware of the insidious nature of this campaign, I adopted a two-pronged strategy: To systematically showcase the administration’s achievements and to decisively counter the opposition’s misleading narrative.

“Exactly 130 days to the general elections, precisely on Oct 18, 2023, my ministry launched the groundbreaking PMB Administration Scorecard Series (2015-2023).

“The goal was to present verified accomplishments of the Buhari administration and shape public perception during a politically-critical period.

“Under the programme, ministers presented concrete, evidence-based reports on their respective sectors.

“Each session includes a robust question and answer segment during which journalists critically interrogated the presentations and sought clarifications,” he wrote.

To ensure maximum visibility, Mohammed said he deployed a comprehensive multi-platform communication strategy leveraging traditional and digital platforms.

The former minister also recalled that on Feb. 22, 2023, just three days before the elections, his ministry unveiled the final set of legacy documentation tools.

The tools, according to him, are: a documentary, a testimony series, a compendium of PMB Achievements in both print and e-copy, and a legacy portal.

Mohammed said the legacy portal was a digital repository, accessible from anywhere in the world, which contained all the presentations at the scorecard series.

“The scorecard series was undoubtedly one of the most innovative and impactful electioneering campaign strategies in Nigeria’s recent political history.

“It provides Nigerians, ahead of the elections, with direct, unfettered access to the achievements of the outgoing administration.

“It offered detailed, ministry-by-ministry presentations and highlighted concrete policy achievements, infrastructural developments, and sectoral reforms.

“By doing so, it not only set the tone for the constructive political discourse, but also powerfully reinforced the ruling party’s campaign message across the length and breadth of the country,” he said.

The former minister further argued: “Apart from disseminating information, the innovation of the Scorecard Series also shifted the dynamics of the political campaign itself.

“By placing verifiable facts and government achievements directly in the hands of the citizens, it compelled the opposition to constantly play catch-up.”

Mohammed said the strategies ended the opposition’s unfounded narrative around failures or unfulfilled promises.

He said, with the strategies, the opposition parties found themselves in the defensive throughout the campaign season, mostly dwelling on “ad hominem” arguments”.

Mohammed stressed that the success of the strategy lay in its subtlety and strict adherence to facts rather than overt political grandstanding.

He maintained that by anchoring the campaign on documented performance and verifiable records, the APC was able to reconnect with undecided voters and neutralise what he described as deliberate misinformation.

According to him, the approach reaffirmed the power of strategic communication in shaping electoral outcomes without breaching institutional responsibilities.