Alhaji Lai Mohammed, a former Minister of Information and Culture, has disclosed how he deployed a two-pronged communication strategy that, he said, helped the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu to win the 2023 general election.

Mohammed made the disclosure in his newly inaugurated book, Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments that Defined an Administration, which chronicles his experiences as a minister in the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari.

It will be recalled that ahead of the 2023 elections, Buhari had warned ministers, permanent secretaries and heads of government agencies against abandoning their official duties for political campaigns. The late President issued the directive at the end of a two-day Ministerial Performance Review Retreat held in Abuja in 2022, warning that any infraction would attract sanctions.

Mohammed, however, narrated that, without prejudice to the presidential directive, he contributed to the APC’s campaign efforts, not through rallies or political rhetoric, but by defending facts, documenting government performance and ensuring that, in his words, “history was not rewritten by propaganda”.

He recalled that in the build-up to the elections, a dominant narrative promoted by opposition figures was that the APC-led Buhari administration had failed to achieve anything substantial and, therefore, had no justification for seeking a return to power.

According to him, the opposition actively propagated the claim—clearly as part of an orchestrated campaign—that the ruling party had no tangible achievements to campaign on.

Mohammed said the assertion was neither factual nor grounded in reality, but a deliberate attempt to discredit the administration and, by extension, the APC and Tinubu 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.

“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.”

He explained that exactly 130 days to the general elections, on October 18, 2023, his ministry launched the PMB Administration Scorecard Series (2015–2023), which he described as a groundbreaking initiative.

The goal of the series, according to him, was to present verified accomplishments of the Buhari administration and shape public perception during what he described as a politically critical period.

Under the programme, ministers delivered concrete, evidence-based presentations on their respective sectors, while each session featured a robust question-and-answer segment in which journalists critically interrogated the reports and sought clarifications.

To ensure maximum visibility, Mohammed said he deployed a comprehensive, multi-platform communication strategy that leveraged both traditional and digital media platforms.

He further recalled that on February 22, 2023—just three days before the elections—his ministry unveiled the final set of legacy documentation tools, including a documentary, a testimonial series, a compendium of PMB achievements in both print and electronic formats, and a legacy portal.

According to him, the legacy portal served as a digital repository, accessible globally, containing all presentations delivered during the scorecard series.

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

“It provided Nigerians, ahead of the elections, with direct, unfettered access to the achievements of the outgoing administration. It offered detailed, ministry-by-ministry presentations highlighting concrete policy achievements, infrastructural developments and sectoral reforms.”

He added that the initiative not only set the tone for more constructive political discourse, but also reinforced the ruling party’s campaign message across the country.

The former minister further argued that beyond disseminating information, the scorecard series altered the dynamics of the political campaign itself by placing verifiable facts and government achievements directly in the hands of citizens.

According to him, this compelled the opposition to remain on the defensive throughout the campaign season, often resorting to what he described as ad hominem arguments.

Mohammed stressed that the success of the strategy lay in its subtlety and strict adherence to facts rather than overt political grandstanding.

He maintained that by anchoring the campaign on documented performance and verifiable records, the APC was able to reconnect with undecided voters and neutralise what he termed deliberate misinformation.

According to him, the approach reaffirmed the power of strategic communication in shaping electoral outcomes without breaching institutional responsibilities.