PEOPLES GAZETTE
President Bola Tinubu’s longtime ally, Gilbert Chagoury, played a critical role in a last-ditch effort to bolster the waning popularity and influence of President Goodluck Jonathan leading up to the 2015 general elections, an activity that was diametrically opposed to Mr Tinubu’s partisan interest, a document recently accessed by Peoples Gazette has revealed.
According to the filings, which were obtained following disclosures by agents of the United States Department of Justice, Mr Chagoury, between January and June 2015, engaged the services of lobbyists, NWG Advocacy LLC, to set up multiple meetings between top members of Mr Jonathan’s government with senior aides to members of U.S. Congress and top U.S. media outlets to earn increased validation for Mr Jonathan’s reelection bid.
Some of the highlights of the planned conversations include discussions on how the purported gains of Mr Jonathan’s administration in security, economy, education, and accountability could be internationally emphasised to boost his political credentials ahead of the election in Nigeria. Mr Jonathan’s widely applauded handling of the Ebola virus and the transparency strides of his administration were among key highlights of the publicity and congressional outreach strategy.
The target list of Mr Chagoury’s lobbying effort included professional staff and expert advisers who worked under various subcommittees of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee then chaired by Senator Bob Corker. Some of those contacted included Michael Phelan, professional staff of the Africa Subcommittee, and Heather Flynn, a senior foreign policy professional, filings under Foreign Agents Registration Act showed.
These officials were expected to be convinced of Mr Jonathan’s performance and to affirm them publicly in a way that could be politically lucrative for his second-term bid. The former president’s representatives in the arrangement included his then-chief of staff Hassan Tukur and senior economic adviser Mustafa Chike-Obi.
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