Activist and prominent ally of Peter Obi, Aisha Yesufu, has accused the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) of undermining the process for selecting its candidate for the Federal Capital Territory Senate seat, claiming the exercise was manipulated to produce a predetermined outcome. Yesufu, who joined the NDC from the African Democratic……
Activist and prominent ally of Peter Obi, Aisha Yesufu, has accused the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) of undermining the process for selecting its candidate for the Federal Capital Territory Senate seat, claiming the exercise was manipulated to produce a predetermined outcome.
Yesufu, who joined the NDC from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) earlier this year and declared her intention to contest the FCT senatorial seat, said she entered the race with the expectation of a transparent contest but was disappointed by how events unfolded.
Her reaction followed reports that the party had opted not to conduct a primary election for the seat, effectively ending her bid and paving the way for another aspirant, Amanda Pam.
In a statement released on Friday, the activist urged her supporters to remain focused on the larger political objective ahead of the 2027 general election despite the setback.
READ ALSO: Aisha Yesufu Urges Supporters to Focus on Grassroots Mobilisation Ahead of NDC Primaries
However, in a subsequent statement issued later that day, Yesufu alleged that the process violated both party guidelines and provisions of the Electoral Act.
She maintained that she was unwilling to sacrifice her principles for political gain.
“I understood what I was getting into. I knew that the quality of our politics has not yet risen to the occasion, that values-based candidates do not easily emerge by merit in a system built to resist them,” she said.
“But I made a decision going in: I would not compromise my values. I would stand for what is right. I did not leave advocacy to go into politics. I took advocacy into politics.”
Yesufu said her campaign was built on grassroots mobilisation and argued that the strength of her support base forced the party leadership to move the decision-making process away from public scrutiny.
According to her, “what was billed as a primary was, in truth, a predetermined outcome dressed in procedural formalities”.
She alleged that the process was repeatedly altered, with changes to venues and procedures introduced at short notice.
“The delegate-based process was introduced to be conducted at a central location instead of direct primaries at Local Government headquarters,” she claimed.
“When the moment came, the contest was not decided by delegates in the open; it was affirmed in a closed room, away from the people whose voices it was supposed to reflect.”
The activist said the party might defend the exercise as free and fair, but insisted the events surrounding the selection process did not meet the standards of justice and transparency.
She added that although she had grounds to challenge the outcome, she chose not to pursue a prolonged grievance process.
“I ran to win. But when the process was subverted, I made a choice: I would not exhaust myself in a grievance process designed to wear people down. I chose instead to extract every lesson this experience had to offer,” she said.
“I now understand the architecture of the system in ways no textbook, no punditry, no amount of outside observation could ever teach.
“That knowledge is worth more than any petition I could have filed. I leave this process with something far more valuable than a ticket; I leave with clarity.”
Yesufu clarified that her account was limited to her experience in the FCT senatorial contest and should not be interpreted as an assessment of the party’s primaries in other states.
Despite her criticism of the process, she expressed continued support for the NDC, describing it as the platform currently hosting her preferred presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
“Despite its shortcomings, the NDC remains the only party that has given the best presidential candidate in the 2027 electoral cycle a platform to run,” she stated.
