2027: APC targets diaspora networks to counter misinformation

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) Directorate of Diaspora Mobilisation has unveiled plans to mobilise Nigerians living abroad and leverage its international networks to counter misinformation about Nigeria and the administration of President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The Director of the PBAT/APC 2027 PCC Directorate of Diaspora Mobilisation, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja, where she outlined a five-point strategy to mobilise diaspora support for Tinubu’s re-election.

She said the directorate would use digital advocacy, diaspora chapter mobilisation, fundraising, voter education and rapid responses to misinformation to promote the administration’s policies and achievements.

Dabiri-Erewa described Nigerians in the diaspora as important stakeholders in the country’s development because of their remittances, investments, professional expertise and influence within their host communities.

“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.

ALSO READ: Oyebanji’s second term will take Ekiti to greater heights — Ex-Info Commissioner,Olumilua

She noted that diaspora investments covered healthcare, education, food businesses and information and communications technology, adding that Nigerians abroad could help communicate developments in the country to their families and communities.

According to her, the directorate’s strategy would begin with harmonising and activating APC diaspora chapters across several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Australia, Turkey, India and Kazakhstan.

She said the directorate would also reach out to Nigerians abroad who were not APC members but were willing to participate in the campaign, stressing that the mobilisation effort would be inclusive.

The second component is a digital advocacy initiative tagged “Operation Tell Your Story”, through which Nigerians in the diaspora would receive short videos, infographics and other communication materials highlighting the administration’s policies and achievements.

Dabiri-Erewa said the campaign would address issues such as foreign exchange reforms, foreign reserves, support for small businesses, housing programmes and opportunities for students.

She acknowledged the hardship associated with the removal of the fuel subsidy but defended the decision as necessary to reform 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 added that Nigerians abroad understood the challenges associated with the previous foreign exchange system and could help explain the rationale behind the administration’s reforms to people at home.

The third component, she said, would involve mobilising diaspora fundraising through structured platforms to support campaign activities, voter education materials, town hall meetings and grassroots mobilisation.

She said the directorate would encourage Nigerians abroad who wished to contribute to national development to do so through organised channels, with transparency and accountability.

The fourth component would focus on voter registration awareness and homecoming mobilisation, with Nigerians abroad encouraged to remind eligible family members and community residents to register, collect their Permanent Voter Cards and participate in elections.

She also urged Nigerians in the diaspora to return home, engage with their communities and participate in the political process.

On countering misinformation, Dabiri-Erewa said the directorate would establish a rapid-response mechanism to address false or misleading narratives about Nigeria and the Tinubu administration.

“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.

She added that the directorate would work with diaspora organisations, traditional institutions and community leaders to strengthen engagement between Nigerians abroad and their communities at home.

Dabiri-Erewa described the diaspora as an important constituency in Nigeria’s foreign policy, noting that Tinubu had engaged Nigerians abroad during his international trips.

She also called on the National Assembly to consider amending the Constitution to enable Nigerians living abroad to vote in Nigerian elections.

According to her, diaspora voting remained a subject of debate, but she expressed hope that the legislature would address the issue in the future.

On remittances and the impact of the administration’s economic policies, Dabiri-Erewa said Nigerians abroad had continued to support their families and invest in the country, attributing this partly to confidence in the government’s reforms.

She cited the unification of the foreign exchange market and the removal of the fuel subsidy as difficult decisions that she believed were necessary to address structural weaknesses in the economy.

She urged Nigerians to monitor how state and local governments deployed increased revenues following the removal of the subsidy.

Dabiri-Erewa also disclosed that the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) had established a data portal to register Nigerians living abroad, adding that the estimated diaspora population stood at more than 17 million.

Other members of the directorate who spoke at the briefing expressed support for the administration’s economic policies. They acknowledged the hardship associated with the reforms but argued that their intended benefits would take time to materialise.

They also highlighted opportunities for Nigerians in the diaspora to contribute through investments, skills transfer, business partnerships and closer collaboration with government institutions.

Dabiri-Erewa urged the media to partner with the directorate in communicating its activities, saying the campaign would focus on continuity, national development and the administration’s stated goal of moving Nigeria from reforms to prosperity.