Developing reports have shown that the current shifty relationship between Nigeria;s Federal Government and its American counterparts is being orchestrated by a AKPD Media and Messages, the firm contracted by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to handle its political strategy in the US.
This was revealed by an unnamed serving Minister, who spoke to The Cable on the condition of anonymity.
The Minister availed that the President Goodluck Jonathan/Peoples Democratic Party PDP-led government has expressed its discontent over America’s meddling in affairs concerning the forthcoming general elections.
Further investigations reveal that AKPD is a political consulting firm co-founded by a close aide of President Barack Obama, David Axelrod, who acted as campaign adviser to America’s President during his 2008 presidential campaign.
Axelrod was later appointed as Senior Advisor to President Obama, a post he later quit in 2011 so as to assume the role of Senior Strategist for the re-election campaign of President Obama in 2012.
The Washington Free Beacon had accused Axelrod and AKPD of lying about the level of its involvement with APC, as a spokesman for the firm, Isaac Baker had told Washington Times that AKPD had only worked with APC between December 2013 and March 2014 saying they had been contracted “to form a new political opposition party and create a platform in advance of their first national convention. We were no longer working with the APC when the Boko Haram kidnapping of the young girls took place”, although investigations show that they were still in business as at December 2014.
Baker had later revealed to the Washington Free Beacon that “AKPD worked with APC from December 2013 to March 2014, at which point our contract ended. Nine months later, in December 2014, the APC re-hired AKPD for a 3-week engagement to help the party in organizing announcement events. That was our only involvement with the party since we completed work in March. That project is now complete and we have no ongoing relationship with them,”
Further findings have also revealed that several messages were relayed between the APC and AKPD during the 9-month period Baker claimed to have cut contacts with the APC as a mail between an APC member, Olubinmi Adetumbi and former Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi on Tuesday, September 23, 2014 was quoted as saying “The meeting went well and the report well received. [Gov. Rotimi Amaechi] will meet with the AKPD team tomorrow to discuss the facilitation of the event but no dates fixed yet,”
A second email between the APC’s Vice Presidential candidate, Professor Yemi Osinbajo and Fayemi has the former saying: “I also think the AKPD surveys also clearly showed that the South West is the battle ground for this election,”
Yet another email exchange, dated Wednesday, January 21, 2015 has former FCT Minister and APC’s governorship candidate in Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai talking about “October 2014 AKPD poll” that he hoped to disseminate to “the team.”
The Cable has also quoted APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed on Tuesday, February 10, 2015 saying that knowledge of APC’s consultation with AKPD “is in public domain.”
It remains to be seen how much more AKPD’s involvement in Nigeria’s political affairs will affect the relationship between Nigeria and the United States.
