Ballard Nigeria

Ballard Partners has signed an open-ended contract with Nigeria’s People's Democratic Party pegged at $1.1M per-year.

The center-right party is the main opposition group to Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari.

Brian Ballard, a top Republican fundraiser and chair of the Trump Victory organization Florida during the 2016 presidential election, heads up the Nigerian work.

Sylvester Lukis, managing partner of Ballard’s DC office, and James Rubin, partner and former assistant secretary of state for PA during the Clinton White House and spokesperson for Madeline Albright, join Ballard on the account.

The $90K monthly retainer contract went into effect Sept. 21 and automatically renews each year on the anniversary date of the agreement unless either party terminates the relationship with 30-days’ notice.

The Tallahassee-based firm’s mission is to enhance the US/Nigeria relationship and strengthen and advance democratic values and the rule of law in Nigeria “with a special focus in the coming months of maintaining political and security conditions free of intimidation and interference in order to ensure the success and fairness of Nigeria’s national election for president in 2019,” according to its contract.