The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the opposition’s outrage over Nigeria’s engagement of a United States–based lobbying firm as orchestrated, selective, and misleading.
In a statement issued by the party’s spokesman, Mogaji (Hon.) Seye Oladejo, the Lagos State APC said the agitation either reflects a poor understanding of modern governance or a deliberate attempt to misinform the public.
Oladejo stressed that lobbying is a lawful and globally accepted tool of statecraft, routinely used by governments to promote national interests, attract investment, counter misinformation, and strengthen diplomatic and security ties.
According to the Lagos APC, countries across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa regularly engage lobbying and public affairs firms—especially in strategic capitals such as Washington—to influence policy, enhance trade relations, secure development assistance, and protect strategic interests. Nigeria’s decision, the party noted, aligns with established international practice and is neither new nor improper.
The party argued that the current opposition backlash signals the end of what it described as years of deliberate demarketing of Nigeria on the global stage. It accused opposition figures of expending resources to portray the country negatively abroad, while repeatedly predicting economic collapse that has failed to materialise.
The Lagos APC said the Federal Government’s engagement of professional global advocacy channels will ensure that Nigeria’s reforms, priorities, and progress are communicated accurately and positively to the international community, rather than being shaped by cynicism and misinformation.
It maintained that the opposition’s discomfort is not rooted in concerns about accountability, but in the realisation that Nigeria has chosen confidence over apology, engagement over silence, and strategic leadership over narrow thinking.
“International advocacy is not a crime; it is a necessity in a competitive global order,” the statement said.
The party urged Nigerians to ignore what it called manufactured hysteria and remain focused on the broader objective of a nation reclaiming its voice, defending its interests, and asserting its rightful place on the global stage.
