How my media strategy helped Tinubu to win 2023 election – Lai Mohammed

Lai Mohammed, former minister of information and culture, says he deployed media-focused strategy that helped the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu secure victory in the 2023 general election.

Mohammed shared his narrative in a new book titled, ‘Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments that Defined an Administration’, which documents his experience in the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

The ex-minister said he focused on documenting and projecting “the achievements of the Buhari administration” at a time opposition parties were questioning the ruling party’s scorecard.

He recalled that in the buildup to the election, opposition figures repeatedly claimed that the APC-led government had no tangible achievements and therefore did not deserve a return to power.

Mohammed said the narrative was part of a coordinated attempt to discredit the administration and the ruling party ahead of the polls.

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

He explained that in response, he adopted what he described as a two-pronged strategy: “To systematically showcase the administration’s achievements and to decisively counter the opposition’s misleading narrative.”

The former minister said exactly 130 days to the general election, on October 18, his ministry launched what he described as the PMB Administration Scorecard Series covering the period between 2015 and 2023.

“The goal was to present verified accomplishments of the Buhari administration and shape public perception during a politically-critical period,” he said.

Under the initiative, Mohammed said ministers were required to present “concrete, evidence-based reports” on their respective sectors, followed by interactive question-and-answer sessions with journalists.

“Each session includes a robust question and answer segment during which journalists critically interrogated the presentations and sought clarifications,” he wrote.

He added that the ministry also deployed a multi-platform communication strategy to ensure the materials reached a wide audience across traditional and digital platforms.

Mohammed further shared that on February 22, 2023, three days before the presidential election, the ministry unveiled “legacy documentation tools”, including a documentary, a testimony series, a compendium of achievements in print and electronic formats, and a legacy portal.

According to him, the portal served as a digital repository that housed all presentations from the scorecard series and was accessible globally.

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

“It provides Nigerians, ahead of the elections, with direct unfettered access to the achievements of the outgoing administration.

“It offered detailed, ministry-by-ministry presentations and highlighted concrete policy achievements, infrastructural developments and sectoral reforms.

“By doing so, it not only set the tone for the constructive political discourse, but also powerfully reinforced the ruling party’s campaign message across the length and breadth of the country.”

Mohammed argued that the strategy altered the dynamics of the campaign by forcing opposition parties to respond to documented records rather than push what he described as unfounded claims.

“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, anchoring the campaign on documented performance helped the ruling party reconnect with undecided voters and counter what he described “deliberate misinformation”, while reaffirming the influence of strategic communication on electoral outcomes.(The Cable)