…Launches ‘Tell Your Home Story’ initiative

The presidential campaign council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has moved to harness the influence of an estimated 17 million Nigerians living abroad to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, despite the absence of a legal framework allowing citizens in the diaspora to vote from their countries of residence.

The council, through its Directorate of Diaspora Mobilisation led by Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, is banking on the overseas community’s family connections, financial contributions and digital networks to mobilise voters at home ahead of the next presidential election.

At a leadership meeting on the 2027 campaign strategy in Abuja on Wednesday, the directorate unveiled a digital advocacy initiative, Operation Tell Your Home Story, designed to encourage Nigerians abroad to communicate the policies and achievements of the Tinubu administration to relatives, friends and community members in Nigeria.

The initiative will deploy short videos, infographics and other digital communication materials to promote the administration’s economic reforms and second-term ambition, while encouraging greater voter participation in the 2027 elections.

Although Nigerians living abroad cannot currently cast their ballots in Nigerian elections from their countries of residence, the APC campaign council believes they can influence electoral participation and political conversations through their relationships with voters at home.

The campaign reflects efforts by political parties to expand their mobilisation strategies beyond Nigeria’s borders, drawing on the diaspora’s economic resources, professional networks and connections with communities across the country.

Under the initiative, Nigerians abroad will be encouraged to explain the administration’s policies on economic reforms, investment, employment generation and support for small businesses, using digital platforms to engage their contacts in Nigeria.

The directorate also plans to coordinate APC diaspora chapters across five continents, including in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Australia, Turkey, India and Kazakhstan.

It said the campaign would not be restricted to APC members, adding that Nigerians abroad who were not affiliated with any political party but wished to participate in the 2027 presidential campaign would be accommodated.

Beyond electoral mobilisation, the directorate highlighted the diaspora’s contributions to Nigeria through remittances, investments and professional engagements in healthcare, education, sports, information and communications technology and other sectors.

It urged Nigerians living abroad to sustain their financial contributions to the country, arguing that the relationship between Nigerians at home and their compatriots overseas could support national development.

The campaign officials also defended the Tinubu administration’s economic policies, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market, describing the measures as necessary steps towards stabilising the economy.

They argued that the policies, despite the difficulties associated with their implementation, had to be explained more effectively to Nigerians both at home and abroad.

The Tell Your Home Story initiative is expected to provide diaspora supporters with communication materials to explain the administration’s position on the reforms and engage in conversations about their effects on the economy.

However, the campaign’s approach places considerable emphasis on the ability of Nigerians abroad to persuade eligible voters at home, rather than on their direct participation in the electoral process.

The directorate acknowledged that the absence of diaspora voting remained a significant limitation on the political participation of Nigerians living outside the country.

It called on the National Assembly to pursue the constitutional amendments and other legislative measures required to enable eligible Nigerians abroad to vote in future elections.

The demand for diaspora voting has remained part of broader discussions about expanding electoral participation and allowing Nigerians who live and work overseas to exercise their voting rights.

The directorate also called for greater scrutiny of funds allocated to state and local governments, arguing that accountability in the management of public resources was essential to ensuring that the benefits of economic reforms reached ordinary Nigerians.

It maintained that improved oversight of public spending would help strengthen public confidence in governance and make it easier for campaigners to communicate the impact of government policies.

Beyond its digital campaign, the directorate intends to engage traditional and community leaders in Nigeria to strengthen its grassroots mobilisation efforts ahead of the 2027 elections.

The strategy, therefore, combines overseas advocacy with domestic political engagement, using diaspora networks to reinforce campaign messaging while relying on eligible voters in Nigeria to determine the outcome at the ballot box.