Prominent activist and former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senatorial aspirant, Aisha Yesufu, has alleged that the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) senatorial primary in Abuja was manipulated to produce a predetermined outcome, insisting that the exercise never reflected the will of party members.
In a statement issued on Friday following the conclusion of the party’s primaries, Yesufu maintained that she remained in the race until the end and did not withdraw from the contest, contrary to speculations.
“I did not quit, I did not drop out of the race. I stayed to the end,” she stated.
The activist, however, said she would not challenge the outcome in court, arguing that the process itself was fundamentally flawed.
“I also do not intend to litigate a process that was never truly allowed to happen. I share my truth because the people of Abuja deserve the truth,” she said.
Explaining her decision to seek elective office, Yesufu said she entered politics out of a conviction that meaningful national transformation requires active participation in governance rather than remaining an observer.
“I came into politics from a deep conviction that to drive the transformation we hope to see, it is not enough to complain from the outside. You must step into the ring with your convictions and fight to get into the positions where decisions are made with the weight of the law,” she said.
According to her, she joined the political arena fully aware of the challenges facing Nigeria’s democratic system but resolved not to compromise her principles.
“I knew that values-based candidates do not easily emerge by merit in a system built to resist them. 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,” she added.
Yesufu praised members of her campaign team and volunteers, saying they built a formidable grassroots movement across the FCT.
“Our ground game was on point. We had grassroots credibility, the kind you don’t manufacture in a backroom,” she said.
“The SAY-Nation volunteer network was formidable, so formidable that the process had to be taken out of the open and resolved through a clandestine affirmation behind closed doors.”
She expressed gratitude to supporters who mobilised across communities and wards in the territory.
“Street by street, ward by ward, conversation by conversation, we built something real.
“To every volunteer who knocked on doors, every supporter who argued our case in market squares and motor parks, every young person who believed that this time could be different, I see you, and I am deeply grateful. You showed Abuja what a people-powered campaign looks like,” she said.
The former aspirant alleged that what was presented as a democratic primary election was, in reality, a prearranged process.
“What was billed as a primary was, in truth, a predetermined outcome dressed in procedural formalities,” she alleged.
“The primaries were repeatedly postponed. Venues were changed at the last minute. Guidelines of the party were not followed.”
She further claimed that a delegate-based process was introduced in place of the direct primaries originally expected under the party’s arrangements.
“Delegate-based process was introduced to be conducted at a central location instead of the direct primaries to be conducted at Local Government headquarters,” she said.
“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.”
While acknowledging that the party may defend the conduct of the exercise, Yesufu insisted that the process fell short of democratic expectations.
“The party will indeed go on to release statements upon statements about the free and fair nature of the Abuja FCT primaries. They are entitled to their voice, but the facts that transpired, when litigated by conscience and the guidelines of the Electoral Act, do not reflect justice and fairness,” she said.
Despite her criticisms, the activist disclosed that she deliberately chose not to pursue a prolonged post-primary dispute.
“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.
“I chose instead to extract every lesson this experience had to offer.”
According to her, the experience gave her a deeper understanding of Nigeria’s political system.
“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 added.
Yesufu clarified that her observations were limited to her experience in the FCT senatorial contest and should not be interpreted as a judgment on primaries conducted in other states.
“It is important to note that this account reflects my experience in the Abuja FCT Senatorial race. It does not speak to what transpired in other states, nor do I claim to understand the specifics of those contests,” she said.
Although critical of the process, she expressed continued support for the NDC, describing it as the platform that produced what she called the “better presidential candidate” for the 2027 election cycle.
“For now, despite its shortcomings, the NDC remains the only party that has given the better presidential candidate in the 2027 electoral cycle a platform to run,” she stated.
Looking ahead, Yesufu declared that her political journey was far from over, unveiling what appears to be the foundation for a future political movement in the FCT.
“This is not the end. What we built — the network, the credibility, the grassroots trust — cannot be taken away in a backroom,” she said.
“The forces that tried to silence this movement have only confirmed its potency.
“I am not going anywhere. And neither is the idea that Abuja deserves better.”
She concluded by launching a new political vision tagged “A Better Abuja 2031.”
“For #ABetterAbuja2031 is born. Abuja indigenes and residents, are you ready?” she asked.
