The All Progressives Congress has defended the President Bola Tinubu’s engagement of the Republican lobbyist to appease President Donald Trump and shelve any plans to invade Nigeria and humiliate his government ahead of his re-election bid next year.

In a statement titled “Lobbying is not a Crime: Why the Opposition is Unsettled” and signed by the Lagos spokesperson of the APC, Seye Oladejo, on Friday, the ruling party said the agitation, however loud, either betrayed an ignorance of modern governance or was a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.

“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,” the statement read.

The Nigerian government hired DCI Group with $9 million to plead Nigeria’s cause in Washington and convince Mr Trump that Nigeria was seriously working to eliminate terrorists killing Christians in its northern region.

Mr Tinubu’s administration already paid the group the first tranche of $4.5 million on December 12, 2025, as a retainer fee to engage its lobbying services for the next six months with the second tranche expected to be paid July 2026, according to the Africa Report on Tuesday.

Opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress, New Nigeria Peoples Party, Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party, described the action as shameful amid insecurity and economic hardship in the country.

However, the ruling party defended the Mr Tinubu-led administration’s action, adding advanced countries of the world had routinely deployed lobbying to attract investment, promote national interests and deepen diplomatic cooperation.

“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,” it explained.

Noting that the lobbying engagement clearly signifies the end of the opposition’s unrestrained demarketing of Nigeria before the comity of nations, the APC stated that federal government was not oblivious of the enormous resources allegedly used by the opposition “to talk the country down internationally, while paradoxically remaining disappointed that their repeated predictions of doom and Armageddon had failed to materialize”.

It stated, “The discomfort of the opposition does not stem from concern for probity, but from the realisation 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 ruling party further claimed that Mr Tinubu’s government continues to project Nigeria’s reforms, priorities and progress through legitimate global channels to position the country’s story from a factual abd positive perspective.

“By proactively protecting Nigeria’s reforms, priorities, and progress through legitimate global channels, the government has ensured that 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 statement added.

The APC urged Nigerians to see through the manufactured hysteria and remain focused on reclaiming Nigeria’s voice, defending its interests and asserting its rightful place on the global stage.