Across the world, diaspora communities are becoming increasingly influential in national elections, shaping political conversations, mobilising grassroots support and connecting domestic campaigns with international networks. Their financial contributions, professional expertise and family ties give them a form of political leverage that extends beyond national borders.

For Nigeria, where citizens abroad remit more than $20 billion annually, engaging this global community presents a significant opportunity as political parties prepare for the 2027 general elections. Although Nigerians overseas cannot yet vote from their countries of residence, their ability to influence conversations among families and communities at home remains an important consideration for election campaigns.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) is seeking to harness that influence, targeting maximum votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election through an expanded international mobilisation strategy.

Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), who is also chairing the Presidential Campaign Council’s Directorate of Diaspora Mobilisation, described Nigerians abroad as indispensable stakeholders in national development.

“Nigerians abroad are not outsiders,” she said, highlighting their contributions across medicine, engineering, education, business, innovation and community leadership.

Honourable Abike

Dabiri-Erewa called on diaspora supporters to engage their families, wards, local governments and communities, communicating the administration’s policies and explaining the rationale behind its economic reforms.

“So through our team here, we will be asking the Diaspora to talk to us, talk to their wards, the local governments, their families, tell them what has changed, and a lot of things have changed positively. Tell them that these reforms will yield prosperity,” she said.

She added that the President’s decisions were necessary “to fix the system”.

The directorate’s five-point strategy includes activating APC diaspora chapters across five continents, expanding digital advocacy, encouraging transparent fundraising, promoting voter education and mobilisation, and establishing a rapid-response mechanism against misinformation.

“We need to counter misinformation,” Dabiri-Erewa said. “We will not let others define us. We’ll define who we are, and what we are, and what we are going to do.”

The 2027 initiative builds on the party’s experience during the 2023 presidential campaign. While Dabiri-Erewa remained in Nigeria during that campaign, Prince Ade Omole was the international face of the APC’s diaspora mobilisation, serving as Director of the party’s Diaspora Directorate. Their respective experience now forms part of the renewed effort to engage Nigerians overseas in the President’s re-election campaign.

Under the theme Agenda 2.0: From Reforms to Prosperity, the directorate plans to coordinate APC chapters in countries including the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, South Africa, France, Germany, Australia and the United Arab Emirates, while also reaching Nigerians abroad who are not aligned with existing party structures.

Dabiri-Erewa acknowledged that fuel subsidy removal and ongoing economic reforms had been difficult but maintained that addressing longstanding structural weaknesses was necessary for future prosperity. Diaspora participants at the briefing also expressed support for the administration’s direction.

Ultimately, the campaign’s challenge will be translating international enthusiasm into measurable electoral influence. With overseas voting rights still unavailable to Nigerians, the APC is looking to diaspora networks to strengthen political advocacy, communicate its record and encourage eligible voters at home to support Tinubu’s second-term ambition.