Human rights activist and former Federal Capital Territory senatorial aspirant under the National Democratic Coalition (NDC), Aisha Yesufu, has alleged that the party’s primary election in Abuja was manipulated and predetermined, claiming that the process was ultimately decided behind closed doors rather than through a transparent democratic contest.
In a statement titled “On the Record: NDC Primaries… A Better Abuja Is Inevitable,” Yesufu dismissed suggestions that she withdrew from the race, insisting that she remained in the contest until the end.
“I did not quit, I did not drop out of the race. I stayed to the end,” she said.
The activist, however, disclosed that she would not challenge the outcome of the exercise in court despite what she described as a deeply flawed process.
According to her, the Abuja senatorial primary was never allowed to take place in a manner consistent with democratic principles and the party’s own guidelines.
“What was billed as a primary was, in truth, a predetermined outcome dressed in procedural formalities,” Yesufu alleged.
She claimed that the exercise was repeatedly postponed, venues were changed at the last minute, and procedures initially communicated to aspirants and party members were altered without adequate explanation.
According to her, a delegate-based system was eventually introduced and conducted at a central location rather than through direct primaries at local government headquarters as originally anticipated.
“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,” she stated.
While acknowledging that the party might defend the process as free and fair, Yesufu argued that the events surrounding the primary did not reflect justice or fairness when measured against the spirit of democratic participation and electoral guidelines.
The former aspirant said she entered politics because she believed meaningful societal change required active participation in governance and policymaking rather than remaining solely in the advocacy space.
“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.
