Aisha Yesufu Blasts NDC Over Senatorial Primary

Aisha Yesufu Blasts NDC Leaders Over Senatorial Primary
Activist denied withdrawing from the senatorial race.
Yesufu alleged the primary election was manipulated and unfair.

Human rights activist and politician, Aisha Yesufu, has openly challenged the leadership of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) over the conduct of the party’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) senatorial primary election.

In a viral video circulating online, Yesufu was seen confronting senior party officials, including the National Secretary, Ikenna Morgan Enekweizu, and members of the National Executive Committee (NEC), over the process that produced the party’s senatorial candidate.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the dispute followed the NDC’s decision not to award the FCT senatorial ticket to Yesufu.

Party officials reportedly cited her late entry into the party as one of the reasons she was not selected.

Reacting to the development, Yesufu accused the party leadership of failing to honour commitments allegedly made to aspirants regarding the conduct of the primary election.

She specifically criticised the National Secretary, arguing that party officials should not make public commitments they are unable to fulfil.

“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.

“If we do something, we must stand by our word. It is official, it is outside, it is on our official channels,” Yesufu said.

The activist also dismissed claims that she voluntarily withdrew from the race, insisting that she remained an active contestant until the conclusion of the primary process.

In a statement titled, “On the Record: NDC Primaries… A Better Abuja Is Inevitable,” Yesufu maintained that she never stepped down from the contest.

“I did not quit, I did not drop out of the race. I stayed to the end,” she stated.

According to her, she would have accepted defeat if the process had been conducted in a transparent and credible manner.

“I was told repeatedly that I can’t relate to this party. Who does that? My name has been dragged all over the place.

“At the end of all those times, I said I’m ready. If I lost, I lost,” she said.

Yesufu further alleged that the FCT senatorial primary was manipulated and ultimately decided behind closed doors.

She claimed that the exercise was repeatedly postponed, venues were changed without adequate notice, and procedures earlier communicated to aspirants were altered during the process.

According to her, the party abandoned the direct primary system initially expected to take place at local government headquarters and instead adopted a delegate-based process.

Despite her criticism of the exercise, Yesufu said she would not challenge the outcome in court.

She explained that she was unwilling to expend further energy pursuing a grievance process that she believes is designed to frustrate aggrieved participants.

Aisha Yesufu Blasts NDC Over Senatorial Primary

“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.