Prominent activist cites unfair process, says accepting offer would have disqualified 20 other aspirants who paid for forms.
Socio-political activist Aisha Yesufu has publicly explained why she turned down an offer to contest for a seat in the House of Representatives under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), describing the arrangement as fundamentally unjust .
Speaking at a public lecture on citizens’ participation in governance at Veritas University in Abuja, Yesufu revealed that she rejected the ticket because approximately 20 people had already purchased nomination forms and were legitimately pursuing the position .
“About 20 people had picked up forms for the ticket and I was not going to be part of irregularities. I was not going to be part of that system even though it was going to benefit me,” she said .
The activist explained that accepting the offer would have unfairly disadvantaged other aspirants who had invested significant resources and effort in the process .
“The reason I didn’t take it was because of the process. There were about 20 competent people from whom money had been collected during the process who would be shortchanged,” she stated .
Describing the arrangement as fundamentally flawed, Yesufu added: “The process was unjust; in my view, it was criminal. If we claim to be guided by the law, then why should we do something unjust?” .
She stressed that she would rather lose than benefit from an unfair political process, stating: “I have no problem with losing. I would rather stand with ordinary people than pursue titles and honours through an unfair process. That is how I have always lived my life” .
Background to the Controversy
Her remarks came after NDC National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, disclosed that he and the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, had offered her the House of Representatives ticket, which she declined .
Dickson had earlier alleged that Yesufu turned down the offer because she was “too big” for the House of Representatives and insisted on running for the Senate . According to Dickson, the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency ticket was offered to her, and the party leadership was willing to make her a consensus candidate .
The controversy follows internal wranglings within the NDC after Yesufu accused the party of manipulating the FCT Senate primary process against her . The senatorial ticket was reportedly cleared for another aspirant, Amanda Pam .
Yesufu, who recently joined the NDC from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had declared her intention to contest the FCT Senate seat in the 2027 general election but later withdrew from the race, alleging irregularities .
In her address at the university lecture, she also urged young Nigerians to become more actively involved in politics, stressing that political participation should extend beyond voting during elections .
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