Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has publicly detailed the specific two-pronged media and communication strategy he deployed, which he credits with significantly contributing to the electoral victory of President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general elections.
The Strategic Response to Opposition Narratives
Mohammed made these revelations in his newly launched book, "Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments that Defined an Administration," which documents his tenure under former President Muhammadu Buhari. He recalled that in the lead-up to the polls, a dominant narrative pushed by opposition figures was that the Buhari administration had achieved nothing substantial and did not deserve to hand over power to its own party's candidate.
He described this as a deliberate and orchestrated campaign of misinformation aimed at discrediting the APC government and its presidential flagbearer. "Fully aware of the insidious nature of this campaign, I adopted a two-pronged strategy: To systematically showcase the administration’s achievements and to decisively counter the opposition’s misleading narrative," Mohammed wrote.
Launching the PMB Administration Scorecard Series
The cornerstone of this strategy was the groundbreaking PMB Administration Scorecard Series (2015-2023), launched precisely 130 days before the elections on October 18, 2022. This initiative was designed to directly shape public perception during the critical political period by presenting verified, ministry-by-ministry accomplishments.
"Under the programme, ministers presented concrete, evidence-based reports on their respective sectors. Each session includes a robust question and answer segment during which journalists critically interrogated the presentations and sought clarifications," he explained. To ensure maximum reach, Mohammed deployed a comprehensive multi-platform communication strategy leveraging both traditional and digital media.
The Final Push: A Digital Legacy Portal
In a final pre-election move, just three days before voting on February 22, 2023, Mohammed's ministry unveiled a suite of legacy documentation tools. This included a documentary, a testimony series, a compendium of achievements, and a crucial digital legacy portal.
He described the portal as a global digital repository containing all the scorecard presentations, giving Nigerians unfettered access to the administration's records. "The scorecard series was undoubtedly one of the most innovative and impactful electioneering campaign strategies in Nigeria’s recent political history," Mohammed asserted.
Shifting Campaign Dynamics and Securing Victory
Mohammed argued that this fact-based approach fundamentally altered the campaign landscape. By placing documented performance and verifiable records at the forefront, it forced opposition parties onto the defensive, often resorting to personal attacks instead of policy debates.
"By anchoring the campaign on documented performance and verifiable records, the APC was able to reconnect with undecided voters and neutralise what he described as deliberate misinformation," he maintained. He stressed that the success lay in the strategy's subtlety and strict adherence to facts, rather than overt political grandstanding, all while operating within the bounds of his official ministerial duties.
Ultimately, Mohammed concluded that this experience reaffirmed the immense power of strategic communication in shaping electoral outcomes without compromising institutional responsibilities.
