Aisha Yesufu alleges irregularities in NDC FCT senate ticket process

 Aisha Yesufu, an activist and politician has accused the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) of undermining due process in the selection of its Federal Capital Territory (FCT) senatorial candidate.

She alleged that the exercise breached provisions of the electoral act and failed to meet standards of fairness and transparency.

Yesufu made the allegation in a statement issued on Friday, shortly after announcing that the party would not be conducting primaries for the FCT Senate seat, effectively bringing an end to her bid for the ticket.

The activist, who joined the NDC from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) earlier this month, had declared her intention to contest the FCT Senate seat on May 6, citing her political experience and commitment to values-driven leadership.

Speaking on the development, Yesufu said she entered the race fully aware of the challenges within Nigeria’s political system but remained determined not to compromise her principles.

“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.”

She argued that the popularity and grassroots support generated by her campaign altered the dynamics of the contest, forcing party leaders to abandon an open process.

According to her, the strength of her support base became so significant that the process “had to be taken out of the open and resolved through a clandestine affirmation behind closed doors.”

Yesufu further alleged that what was presented as a primary election was merely a predetermined arrangement.

“What was billed as a primary was, in truth, a predetermined outcome dressed in procedural formalities,” she stated.

The activist claimed that the process was repeatedly altered, with venues changed at short notice and established guidelines ignored.

“The delegate-based process was introduced to be conducted at a central location instead of direct primaries at Local Government headquarters,” she alleged.

“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 exercise as credible, Yesufu maintained that the process failed the test of justice and fairness.

“The party may 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,” she said.

Explaining her decision not to challenge the outcome through formal complaints, Yesufu said she chose to focus on the lessons gained from the experience rather than engage in what she described as an exhausting grievance process.

“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.”

Yesufu clarified that her criticism was limited to the FCT Senate contest and should not be interpreted as a blanket assessment of the party’s activities in other states.

Despite her reservations, she expressed confidence in the broader political relevance of the NDC ahead of the 2027 general election.

“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,” she said.