APC defeated PDP 2015 election, says Lai Mohammed, who explains how strategy and communication helped opposition secure historic victory
Former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has given an account of how Nigeria’s opposition forces strategically united to defeat the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the landmark 2015 general elections.
Also read: APC Caucus Divided Over Bala Mohammed Defection Plan
Speaking during an address at Abbey College, Cambridge, United Kingdom, on Wednesday, Lai Mohammed said the political shift that culminated in the All Progressives Congress (APC) victory was rooted in years of organisation, communication strategy, and coalition-building following the turbulent 2003 elections.
The APC defeated PDP 2015 election outcome, he explained, was not sudden but the result of a gradual consolidation of fragmented opposition parties into a structured national movement.
Lai Mohammed described the 2003 elections as a “political tsunami,” noting that it dramatically altered the balance of power across Nigeria’s political parties.
He recalled that the PDP expanded its dominance while opposition parties suffered significant losses.
He explained that the Alliance for Democracy (AD), of which he was a member at the time, was reduced to a single state, Lagos, forcing opposition actors to reconsider their political strategy and direction.
According to him, the crisis led to a series of mergers and rebranding efforts that eventually produced the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which later became a key pillar in the formation of the APC.
Lai Mohammed emphasised that communication played a decisive role in sustaining the opposition during its weakest period, describing it as a tool that ensured political relevance despite limited control of states.
He noted that disciplined messaging helped the opposition expand its influence from one state to six, creating the foundation for broader alliances that eventually merged into the APC in 2013.
The former minister stated that the APC quickly emerged as the dominant opposition party before going on to achieve a historic victory over the PDP in 2015, marking Nigeria’s first successful transfer of power between ruling and opposition parties at the federal level.
Also read: APC Chairman Yilwatda Makes Bold Stability Claim
He concluded that effective communication requires consistency, clarity, and strategic focus, adding that these principles were central to the opposition’s eventual success.
