Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Director of Diaspora Mobilisation for the PBAT/APC 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, has revealed that many foreigners are seeking Nigerian passports and want to remain in the country.
She made this known on Wednesday in Abuja while discussing plans to mobilise Nigerians living abroad to support President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
Dabiri-Erewa said many foreigners had approached her team for help in getting Nigerian citizenship.
“On my table, you see a lot of people telling us to beg the President to be able to give them Nigerian passports. Ask the Minister of Interior. It’s too much.”
She said the requests showed growing interest in Nigeria, including from people hoping to invest in the country. She also recalled a woman who recently told her team on camera that she had come to Nigeria and had no plans to return to her former country of residence.
According to Dabiri-Erewa, Nigerians abroad support national development through money sent home, investments and professional skills. She noted that diaspora remittances exceed $20 billion every year.
For the 2027 election, she said the directorate would activate APC chapters across five continents and launch a digital campaign called “Operation Tell Your Story”. Other plans include diaspora fundraising, voter registration awareness and efforts to counter false information about Nigeria and Tinubu’s administration.
She also urged the National Assembly to amend relevant laws to allow Nigerians abroad to vote. However, she noted that they could still influence political discussions by engaging their families and communities.
