APC targets diaspora networks to counter misinformation

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) Directorate of Diaspora Mobilisation has unveiled plans to deploy Nigerians living abroad and 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, 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 said Nigerians in the diaspora were 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.

She noted 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 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Australia, Turkey, India and Kazakhstan.

The second component is a digital advocacy initiative tagged “Operation Tell Your Story,” through which Nigerians in the diaspora would be provided with 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 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.

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.