PDP Condemns Tinubu Govt. Over ‘Shameful’ $9m U.S. Lobbying Deal

• Urges Focus on Protecting Citizens

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised the Nigerian Government over the reported engagement of a United States lobbying firm, DCI Group, at the cost of $9 million, describing the contract as “defective and deceptive.”

In a press statement issued on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the opposition party said it was disturbed by revelations that the Nigerian Government, through Aster Legal, hired the American public affairs firm to help “communicate its actions to protect Nigerian Christian communities.”

It was earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu’s administration approved a controversial $9 million lobbying contract with a Republican-linked firm in Washington as it seeks to placate United States President, Donald Trump, and stave off further military actions and diplomatic measures that could undermine Nigeria’s international standing and the All-Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 elections.

According to an investigative report published on Tuesday by The Africa Report, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, facilitated the engagement of the U.S. lobbying firm, DCI Group, through a Kaduna-based law firm, Aster Legal.

The contract is aimed at persuading the Trump administration and key U.S. lawmakers that Nigeria is taking concrete steps to address insecurity, particularly the killings of Christians in the country’s northern region.

U.S. Department of Justice filings cited in the report show that the Tinubu administration has already paid DCI Group an initial $4.5 million tranche on December 12, 2025.

The payment serves as a six-month retainer, with a second $4.5 million instalment due by July 2026, bringing the total value of the deal to $9 million, or $750,000 per month, one of the most expensive lobbying contracts ever signed by an African government.

The filings state that DCI Group was hired to assist the Nigerian government in communicating its actions to protect Nigeria’s Christian communities and maintaining U.S. support in countering West African jihadist groups and other destabilising elements.

The agreement bears the signatures of Aster Legal’s Managing Director, Oyetunji Olalekan Teslim, and DCI Group’s Managing Partner, Justin Peterson, a prominent Republican strategist and close ally of President Trump who previously served on Puerto Rico’s fiscal management board during Trump’s first term in office.