by David AFOLABI
Human rights activist and politician, Aisha Yesufu, has confronted leaders of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) over the handling of the party’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) senatorial ticket.
In a viral video, Yesufu was seen challenging party officials, including the National Secretary, Ikenna Morgan Enekweizu, and members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) over the process that led to the selection of the party’s candidate.
The disagreement followed the party’s decision not to grant Yesufu the FCT senatorial ticket.
Party officials reportedly cited her late entry into the NDC as one of the reasons for the decision.
Yesufu accused the leadership of failing to honour commitments allegedly made to aspirants and party members on how the process would be conducted.
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The activist specifically criticised the National Secretary, saying public promises should not be made if the party lacked the capacity to fulfil them.
“The National Secretary did not have what it took to vote for every local government, then he shouldn’t have put out a statement to the world that he was going to do that,” Yesufu said.
“If we do something, we must stand by our word. It is official, it is outside, it is on our official channels.”
Yesufu also dismissed claims that she withdrew from the senatorial contest, insisting that she remained in the race until the end.
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“I did not quit, I did not drop out of the race. I stayed to the end,” she said in a statement titled “On the Record: NDC Primaries… A Better Abuja Is Inevitable.”
She said she was prepared to accept defeat if the process had been transparent and credible.
“I was told repeatedly that I can’t relate to this party. Who does that? My name has been dragged all over the place,” she said.
“At the end of all those times, I said I’m ready. If I lost, I lost.”
The former aspirant alleged that the FCT senatorial primary was manipulated and decided behind closed doors.
She claimed the exercise was repeatedly postponed, venues were changed at short notice and procedures earlier communicated to aspirants were altered.
According to her, a delegate-based system was later introduced instead of the direct primary process originally expected at local government headquarters.
Despite describing the process as flawed, Yesufu said she would not challenge the outcome in court.
She said she did not want to waste energy on what she described as a grievance process designed to wear people down.
“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,” she stated.
She wrote on X: “Today, I rounded up my visitation to all the FCT Area Councils with the visit to Bwari Area Council, where I met with the Party leadership at the Area Council, Ward levels, stakeholders, members of the Supporters of Aisha Yesufu Group (SAY Nation), and numerous supporters who have remained steadfast in their commitment to our collective mandate for the FCT.
“The purpose of the outreach was to engage directly with our supporters, particularly in light of the disappointment occasioned by the Party’s decision, which unjustly denied us the opportunity to participate in the contest for the FCT Senatorial District ticket. It was important to reassure them that, despite this setback, our commitment to the ideals of justice, good governance, and national development remains unwavering.
