Nigeria: PDP hires Trump's campaign strategist

Nigeria’s opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) has engaged the services of top United States firm and lobbyist, Brian Ballard, to work with it for the successful emergence of its candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

The American strategist is expected to help in ensuring the success of Atiku as Nigeria’s president in the forthcoming 2019 general election.

Ballard, a top lobbyist was very influential during the election that brought Donald Trump in as the president of the United States.

The firm which lobbied for the current U.S President, Donald Trump, has a contract with PDP on a monthly payment of $90,000 (N31.5m).

The contract which is expected to last for a year will cumulatively fetch the firm a sum of N400 million (Over $1 million) at the end of the period.

“This contract is entered into between the Peoples Democratic Party of Nigeria (“the Client”), Plot l970 Michael Okpara Street, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja, and Ballard Partners, Inc. (“the F irm”), 601 13th Street NW, Suite 450N, Washington, D. C. 20005,” the agreement read.

A former Nigeria Aviation minister, Osita Chidoka signed the contract on behalf of the PDP.

“It shall be the Client’s duty to provide the Firm the information necessary to best represent the Client. It shall also be the Client’s duty to timely compensate the Firm for its services.

It would be recalled that Nigeria’s ruling party All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014 engaged the services of AKPD Media and messages, a top US firm that also worked for the former US president, Barack Obama to help in the 2015 election.

According to the contract, the firm will be expected to strengthen democratic values in the West African nation, in addition to maintaining secure conditions in Nigeria during elections.

“It shall be the Firm’s duty to consult with the Client and advocate on its behalf those issues the client deems necessary and appropriate before the US Federal government”

2019: PDP Hires Donald Trump’s Presidential Campaign Strategist, Brian Ballard https://t.co/o0Mwvy1Fwa

— Oriental Times (@OrientalTimes) November 2, 2018