28 Jul 2014


• Group insists: we have no link with any political party

By Chuks Okocha

Despite series of denials by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that it has nothing to do with the foreign campaigns of the #Bring BackOurGirls campaigners, an e-mail by a foreign public relations giant in the United States of America, Burson-Marsteller, has revealed that the main opposition party approached it for a one-off campaign for the officials of the campaign.

In a swift reaction, the spokesman of the #BringBackOurGirls campaigners, Rotimi Olawale, told THISDAY that the group’s ambition is only for the safe return of the abducted girls and that it has no link with any of the registered political parties in Nigeria.

According to the filings with the United States Department of Justice, which is a legal requirement under the US laws, that all companies acting as agents to foreign bodies must publicly declare such, “One of the opposing parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and a co-founder of the “BringBackOurGirls” movement in Nigeria, hired a public relations giant, Burson-Marsteller, to arrange a single meeting in Washington D.C.

The e-mail said by the US law, it requires all registered firms in the country to file all its transactions with foreign nations in the US Department of Justice in line with the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and that it was the APC that approached it on behalf of the #BringBackOurGirls’ campaigners.

The e-mail further said: “According to Burson's account of a filing with the Justice Department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The contract is officially signed by Ladi Delano.”

The e-mail stated: “The firm was originally approached to support a one-off visit to Washington, D.C. by the co-founder of the #BringBackOurGirls’ campaign and other APC officials. But the visit was called off,” a spokeswoman from Burson-Marsteller wrote in an e-mail.

“We are in the process of de-registering with FARA (the Foreign Agents Registration Act).”

The one-month, $100,000 contract was abandoned after the meeting was canceled, the e-mail from Burson Marsteller said, explaining that Burson had also subcontracted with the public affairs firm Prime Policy Group.

But Rotimi Olawale, the spokesman of the #BringBackOurGirls campaigners, told THISDAY, “I want to express that at no time did any founder or co-founder of the BringBackOurGirls campaign attempt or speak to any PR firm in Washington for the sake of arranging any meeting.

“Our campaign is not political and is simply focused on putting pressure on the Nigerian government to do all it can to ensure the safe rescue of the more than 200 girls who have been abducted by Boko Haram for more than 100 days, and we have never had cause to hire a PR firm for anything,” he explained,

He also disclaimed one Ladi Delano who signed the FARA document with the US Justice Department

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/how-apc-relates-with-bringbackourgirls-campaigners/184754/