‘The Process was Subverted’ — Aisha Yesufu Alleges Injustice in NDC Senate Primary

Aisha Yesufu, activist and ally of Peter Obi, says she ran to win the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) senate race of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), but the process was “subverted”.

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

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

However, in recent days, there had been speculations that the party had ceded the FCT senate ticket to Amanda Pam, another aspirant who had been in the party before Yesufu joined.

In a statement on Friday, Yesufu said the party would not be conducting primaries for the FCT senate seat, effectively ending her ambition for the position.

She urged her supporters to remain calm and to focus on the broader political objective ahead of the 2027 general election.

‘I COULD NOT COMPROMISE’

In another statement on Friday night, Yesufu said could not “compromise” her values in a process marred by “injustice” and “breach of Electoral Act”.

She said she entered politics with a deep conviction to drive the transformation Nigerians hope to see, but she was determined to do what is right at all costs.

“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 she built a campaign based on grassroots credibility, adding that her “SAY-Nation” team was so formidable that the party’s decision process “had to be taken out of the open and resolved through a clandestine affirmation behind closed doors.”

According to her, “what was billed as a primary was, in truth, a predetermined outcome dressed in procedural formalities”.

She alleged that the FCT senate primary was repeatedly postponed with venues changed at the last minute, while “party guidelines were not followed”.

“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.”

She said the party could go on to release statements about the free and fair nature of the primary, “but the facts that transpired, when weighed against conscience and the guidelines of the Electoral Act, do not reflect justice and fairness”.

‘I LEAVE WITH SOMETHING MORE VALUABLE’

Yesufu said she chose not to speak out earlier about the alleged injustice because she wanted to extract every lesson from the experience.

“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.”

She said her account reflects only her experience in the FCT senate race and should not be taken as a representation of what transpired in other states.

The activist, however, added that “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”.

The NDC is yet to issue an official reaction to Yesufu’s allegations.

However, Seriake Dickson, national leader of the party, had said no aspirant was endorsed by the party leadership.

Dickson said all aspirants enjoy equal protection and a level playing field ahead of the party’s primaries.