Lobbying is Not A Crime : Why The Opposition is Unsettled

The Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has observed the orchestrated outrage and selective indignation of the opposition over Nigeria’s engagement of a U.S.-based lobbying firm. This agitation, though loud, betrays either a grave ignorance of modern governance or a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.

It bears restating that lobbying is a universal, lawful, and widely deployed instrument of statecraft. From advanced democracies to emerging economies, governments routinely engage lobbying and public affairs firms-particularly in strategic capitals like Washington-to promote national interests, attract investment, correct misinformation, and strengthen diplomatic and security cooperation.

Countries across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa deploy such firms to influence policy, boost trade, secure development assistance, and protect strategic assets. Nigeria’s action, therefore, is neither novel nor improper; it is standard global practice.

What this engagement clearly signifies is the end of the opposition’s unrestrained demarketing of Nigeria before the comity of nations. The Federal Government is not unaware of the enormous resources the opposition has historically deployed to talk the country down internationally, while paradoxically remaining disappointed that their repeated predictions of doom and Armageddon have failed to materialize.

By proactively projecting Nigeria’s reforms, priorities, and progress through legitimate global channels, the government has ensured that the true Nigerian story will now be told in truth and in deed-from a positive, factual, and forward-looking perspective, not by those driven by cynicism, misinformation, and a destructive political agenda.

The discomfort of the opposition does not stem from concern for probity, but from the realization that Nigeria has chosen confidence over apology, engagement over silence, and leadership over provincial thinking. Strategic international advocacy is not a crime; it is a necessity in a competitive global order.

The Lagos APC urges Nigerians to see through the manufactured hysteria and remain focused on the bigger picture: a Nigeria that is reclaiming its voice, defending its interests, and asserting its rightful place on the global stage.

Mogaji (Hon.) Seye Oladejo
Spokesman, Lagos State APC
January 16, 2026.