₦airaland Forum

A political consulting firm founded by Obama administration confidante David Axelrod has been far more involved in backing controversial Nigerian presidential candidate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari than previously disclosed, according to a series of emails obtained by the Washington Free Beacon and interviews with sources on the ground.

Axelrod’s firm, the Chicago-based AKPD, has admitted to doing work on behalf of Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) party in the past, but claimed to have ceased its ties in March 2014 after the Islamist terror group Boko Haram kidnapped hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls.

However, emails sent between senior APC party members and advisers show that contrary to the firm’s claims, AKPD has quietly continued to perform political work on Buhari’s behalf as he fights to unseat current President Goodluck Jonathan.

With the controversial elections now delayed for another six weeks amid security concerns related to Boko Haram, sources on the ground in Nigeria are beginning to raise new questions about AKPD’s work on behalf of the APC and Buhari, who previously rose to power in the mid-1980s after leading a military coup.

AKPD’s ties to the APC first sparked controversy in March, when Boko Haram’s terror campaign attracted international outrage and shined a spotlight on Nigeria’s problems combatting terrorism.

Under pressure from the press and negative attention, the AKPD told reporters in March that it had ceased its work with the APC.

“AKPD worked with the APC from December 2013 to March 2014,” AKPD spokesman Isaac Baker told the Washington Times last year. “We helped them as they worked 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.”

However, AKPD’s Baker admitted on Monday that the firm worked again with the APC in December 2014.

“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,” Baker told the Free Beacon in an email. “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,” Baker said.

The internal emails sent between APC advisers over the past several months and obtained by the Free Beacon confirm that the work with AKPD continued after March 2014.

In a series of messages between senior APC officials and advisers from September 2014 to late January 2015, AKPD polling and other work are repeatedly discussed.

“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,” APC member Olubunmi Adetunmbi wrote in one September 23 email to top Buhari adviser Kayode Fayemi.

AKPD’s work is again mentioned in a separate chain of emails sent between Buhari’s running mate, Yemi Osinbajo, and adviser Fayemi.

“I also think the AKPD surveys also clearly showed that the South West is the battle ground for this election,” Osinbajo writes in a discussion about boosting election turnouts for the APC.

A third email chain from Jan. 21 shows APC leader Nasir El-Rufai discussing an “October 2014 AKPD poll” that he hoped to disseminate to “the team.”

Requests for comment sent to several APC figures mentioned in internal emails were not returned by press time.

Sources on the ground in Nigeria and familiar with how the elections have been shaping up say Buhari has run an uncharacteristically disciplined campaign.

“They have run … a well disciplined message campaign, running on a clear and singular message of change,” said one source who agreed to discuss the matter only on background. “It sounds very familiar to another campaign some Americans might remember from seven years ago.”

While the APC has had trouble displaying unity in past election bids, the current campaign has showed few signs of dissent, the source explained.

“It strongly points to coaching they ordinarily would not have had in past elections,” according to the source. “That’s really the clearest sign that I’ve seen and other have seen that these guys are running a Western-style, Western-directed campaign that has identified a message through polling and research.”

While Buhari has positioned himself as an agent of change, critics point to his controversial and oppressive rule over Nigeria in the 1980s.

Buhari’s military government was known for harshly cracking down on civil rights, arresting opposition forces, and intimidating critical journalists. Human rights activists routinely criticized Buhari’s military rule. Buhari was deposed in a 1985 coup.

Other sources on the ground and familiar with the APC’s campaign say that the party has been trying to keep AKPD’s ongoing work quiet. It is rumored that AKPD employees are being housed in an APC compound located in Lagos, according to multiple sources.

“The sense is they’re being hidden currently in Lagos,” said another insider on the ground who would only speak on background. “They’re trying to keep a very low profile.”

AKPD’s close ties to the Obama administration also has given rise to criticism from those who see the White House as meddling in the elections.

“They have been particularly careful not to be seen at all because of the perception of the connection between Axelrod and the president and what that would convey,” said one of the sources quoted above.

midolian:
TANists ll neva cease to amaze me...

If buhari win election online, una go say no b online den dey win election

If buhari pull crowd pass jonathan, una go say no be by crowd

Una go seee the shocker of una life for valentines day

ilugunboy:
Na for railways station dem do the rally?

The Jonathan campaign rally in the SW has been a huge failure so far.....

kelechiodo:
APC rally
I try as much as possible to follow the campaign train of both APC and PDP via TV. And today was not different as I was changing channels from CHANNEL TV to NTA trying to catch up with the campaign. But surprisingly, what you get to hear are lies. For example in Owerri today, hear OKorocha as he spurns out lies. He started with my people, my people and then goes to baptist Buhari, Okechukwu Buhari and to the bewilderment of all and to Buhari embarrassment told the gathering that Buhari's grand mother is from Imo and that Buhari will speak Igbo to them. We are waited for the igbo speaking Buhari but we kept on hearing what look like kworuption and other inaudible sentences. I just hope that these politicians will stick to issues and stop all these lies.
Okorocha lies:
Buhari grand mother is an Igbo
Buhari speaks Igbo
There is free education in Imo
etc
PDP Ogun state rally
I dont know what happened today in Ogun state. Who handles GEJ campaign publicity. The scanty attendance in Ogun state today is shocking. Fmr. Gov. Orji Uzor Kalu was absolutely right when he warned that GEJ marketers should be active and not docile. We all know that most of the attendance in most of these rallies are offered stipend by both parties but men, the Ogun poor attendance is absolutely too poor. Ahmadu Ali should be up and doing and I wonder why he was given such a sensitive post in his old age. Rotimi Amechi being younger is doing a very nice job in APC and sincerely, Buhari has never had it so good.

beopened:
OP is a charlatan of the highest order

The youths are PDP supporters who are not happy with how GNS Pwajok was forced on the party by Jonah Jang

Plateau state is a PDP state through and through....If the sad event had occured in the core North,a semblance of believability could have been introduced into the story


The boys chanted Buhari's name as a show of displeasure to what is happening in the state and to taunt the ruling party the PDP


More so it was reported that Soldiers under the STF were just looking at the boys while they cause the mayhem

It will be so stupid of security agencies to watch arms akimbo while thugs have a field day

FastShipping:
LIARS!

Buhari supporters indeed. I did not see any APC or Buhari supporters in the video. I only saw youths who have problem seeing PDP bus. The youths were angry to see bus of a party who has brought misery on them for 16 years. A party who has failed to provide them security against Boko Haram.

Below was what happened to Buhari and APC supporters in Port Harcourt on Monday.

oduastates:
Go ahead and shut down the oil from which the citizens do not derive any benefit.
Bye bye to Jonathan and those who not to follow him

GEJisBOKO:
APC threatend to form a parallel government if the PDP ruling government 'rigs' the election. Jimi Agbaje threatend that southsouth youths would distrupt Oil exploration in the Delta region if Gej 'loses' the election

publisher:
Most APC fans are condemning PDP's Jimi Agbaje's claims on SOUTH-SOUTH having the capacity to shut down Nigeria if GEJ loses.

BUT same APC fans looked the other way when Amaechi and co insisted on forming parallel government if APC loses.

Hypocrites all the way.

remsonik:
I thought you were married
diarris God ooooo

Justeenaleo:
What a catchy phrase
"Life is short, have an Affair today"
Gold circle should use that.





Why go into a relationship when you'd want to "have sex and not make love"
Better remain single and have all the sex you want, don't go about contracting and sharing diseases all ye keziahs

octaner:
You mean like a secret affair?

remsonik:
Op you are the retired womaniser shey?? Guess you ve gone back to your vomit.......

mkpakanaodogwu:
Do u want to kworupt me for my gf?

EroticAngelina:
You have a point, yes. But tz nat good.
And u'l later regret it.

elantraceey:
Sorry the affair can wait.

justmag:
He has a point! Lol! Most girl will be insulting you now OP

elantraceey:
What's your point?

TrueFcts:
please nairalanders, is possible to injure a breast?
i was in the front seat of a taxi and a guy entered to join me and before i could adjust properly, he had sat down and rest his hand on me.
i dont know if its on purpose but my right breast was paining me and i didnt know how to tell him to remove his hand. now am having aches there.

papiforreal:
corruption index has dropped?

You deserves to be shot for lying in public forum.

Nigeria moved 8 positions upward in the world global ranking.

You must be from otuoke to spewed this rubbish.