How I helped Tinubu win 2023 election — Lai Mohammed

Former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has revealed how a carefully planned communication strategy contributed to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 general elections.

Mohammed made the disclosure in his newly launched book, Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments that Defined an Administration, which documents his time in office under the late President Muhammadu Buhari.

Recall that ahead of the 2023 polls, President Buhari had warned ministers, permanent secretaries and heads of agencies against abandoning their official duties for political campaigns, threatening sanctions for defaulters.

Despite the directive, Mohammed explained that he supported the APC campaign without organising rallies or engaging in political rhetoric. Instead, he said he focused on defending facts, documenting government performance and countering what he described as deliberate attempts to rewrite history.

According to him, the opposition had pushed a narrative that the APC-led Buhari administration had failed and had no achievements to present to voters.

Mohammed described the claim as false and part of a coordinated effort to discredit both the administration and Tinubu ahead of the elections.

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

He said he adopted a two-pronged strategy aimed at highlighting the administration’s achievements while dismantling what he called misleading opposition narratives.

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

According to Mohammed, the initiative was designed to present verified accomplishments of the Buhari administration at a politically critical time.

He explained that ministers delivered evidence-based reports on their sectors, followed by rigorous question-and-answer sessions where journalists scrutinised the presentations.

To maximise reach, Mohammed said the ministry employed a wide-ranging communication strategy using both traditional and digital media platforms.

He also disclosed that on Feb. 22, 2023, three days before the elections, the ministry released a final set of legacy materials, including a documentary, a testimonial series, a compendium of Buhari’s achievements in print and electronic formats, and a legacy portal.

The legacy portal, he said, served as a global digital archive containing all scorecard presentations.

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

“It gave Nigerians direct and unfettered access to the achievements of the outgoing administration ahead of the elections.”

He noted that the initiative reshaped political discourse by presenting ministry-by-ministry achievements, policy reforms and infrastructure projects, thereby reinforcing the APC’s campaign message nationwide.

Mohammed added that the strategy forced opposition parties onto the defensive.

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

According to him, the approach weakened opposition narratives of failure and reduced their campaign arguments to personal attacks.

He stressed that the effectiveness of the strategy lay in its subtlety and reliance on documented facts rather than overt political grandstanding.

Mohammed concluded that anchoring the campaign on verifiable records helped the APC reconnect with undecided voters and neutralise misinformation, demonstrating the power of strategic communication in influencing electoral outcomes without violating institutional responsibilities.

Opinion Nigeria News