Seriake Dickson: Obi and I Offered Aisha Yesufu Reps Ticket, but She Rejected It

Seriake Dickson, national leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), says Peter Obi and the party leadership offered Aisha Yesufu a ticket to contest for a seat in the house of representatives, but she declined the offer.

Dickson said this on Thursday during a media conference where he responded to concerns over candidate selection and internal disagreements within the party ahead of the 2027 elections.

The former governor of Bayelsa said the public was unaware of several efforts made by the party to accommodate key figures, including Yesufu, who is a prominent activist and supporter of Obi.

“Do you know that Peter Obi and myself offered Aisha House of Reps? You the public, you don’t know,” Dickson said.

“She turned it down. House of Representatives that people are fighting for, she said she’s too big for it.”

The senator did not specify when the offer was made but suggested it was part of broader discussions over the allocation of elective positions within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

His comments come amid reports of disagreements within the NDC over the conduct of primaries and the distribution of party tickets.

Yesufu, a former convener of the #BringBackOurGirls movement and a prominent voice in the Obidient movement, had expressed interest in contesting for a senatorial seat in the FCT before withdrawing from the process.

On May 6, Yesufu declared interest in the 2027 FCT senatorial race after joining the NDC from the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

She said her decision was informed by the leadership experience she garnered in the ADC.

However, less than a month after her declaration, she dropped out of the race after the party reportedly ceded the FCT senate ticket to Amanda Pam, another aspirant who had been in the party before Yesufu joined.