ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Activist Aisha Yesufu has accused the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) of subverting the process for selecting the party’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) senatorial candidate, saying she could not compromise her values in a process she described as unjust.

Yesufu made the allegation in a statement issued on Friday night, hours after announcing that the party would not be conducting primaries for the FCT Senate seat, effectively ending her bid for the ticket.

The activist had declared her intention to contest the race on May 6 after joining the NDC from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying her decision was inspired by the leadership experience she gained in her former party.

Her declaration came amid growing speculation that the party had already resolved to hand the FCT Senate ticket to another aspirant, Amanda Pam, who had been a member of the party before Yesufu joined.

Addressing supporters earlier on Friday, Yesufu urged them to remain calm and focus on the broader political objective ahead of the 2027 general election.

In a subsequent statement, however, she alleged that the process leading to the emergence of the party’s candidate was marred by injustice and violations of electoral guidelines.

“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.”

Yesufu said she built her campaign on grassroots credibility and argued that the strength of her “SAY-Nation” movement altered the course of the party’s decision-making process.

According to her, the team became so formidable that the selection process “had to be taken out of the open and resolved through a clandestine affirmation behind closed doors.”

She further alleged that “what was billed as a primary was, in truth, a predetermined outcome dressed in procedural formalities”.

The activist claimed that the FCT senate primary process was repeatedly delayed, with venues changed at the last minute and party guidelines ignored.

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

“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 added that while the party may present the exercise as transparent, the events surrounding the process did not reflect 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 why she did not immediately challenge the outcome, Yesufu said she preferred to learn from the experience rather than become entangled in a lengthy 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 stressed that her account was limited to her experience in the FCT Senate contest and should not be interpreted as a reflection of events in other states.

Despite her criticisms, she maintained confidence in the party’s broader political role ahead of the 2027 elections.

“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.

The NDC had not issued an official response to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Notable Nollywood actress and film producer, Esther Okereke, has emerged as the presidential candidate of the National Rescue Movement (NRM) ahead of the 2027 general election.

Okereke secured the party’s ticket on Friday after defeating former Labour Party presidential aspirant, Joseph Faduri, and UK-based businessman, Ademola Onigbokun, at the NRM presidential primary held in Abuja.

Her emergence places her among the few women to secure the presidential ticket of a political party in Nigeria’s democratic history, as political parties begin early preparations for the 2027 election cycle.

Okereke is now expected to join other opposition figures seeking to challenge President Bola Tinubu in what is shaping up to be a highly competitive presidential contest.

Presenting Okereke to delegates as the party’s flag bearer, the National Chairman of the NRM, Chinedu Obi, said the party was determined to offer Nigerians a leadership that could address the country’s economic and security challenges.

Obi said the state of the nation required urgent and purposeful leadership, adding that the party’s mission was anchored on what he described as a national rescue agenda.

He said, “For years, global reports repeatedly described Nigeria as the poverty capital of the world, a title no nation should wear with comfort and no leadership should accept with resignation.”

The NRM chairman also spoke about the plight of Nigerians affected by insecurity across the country, including those kidnapped, displaced or forced to live in fear because of violence.

He said, “We remember our fellow citizens presently held captive in kidnappers’ dens, uncertain of what tomorrow may bring. We remember families displaced by terrorism, banditry, insurgency and communal conflicts, many of whom remain in Internally Displaced Persons camps across our country.”

Obi said the primary was more than a regular political gathering, describing it as a step towards offering Nigerians a new leadership direction.

According to him, the NRM wants to prove that the country can still work if the right leadership is put in place.

He added, “Today, as we elect the presidential flag bearer of our party for the 2027 election, it is not just one of those gatherings of politicians. It is a march towards providing visionary and proactive leadership for a nation in dire need of rescue and proving that Nigeria can work again.”

The party chairman said the NRM would continue to focus on issues affecting ordinary Nigerians, including poverty, insecurity, unemployment and the high cost of living.

In her acceptance speech, Okereke described her nomination as a call to national service and not a platform for personal ambition.

She said, “I accept this nomination not for personal glory but as a sacred assignment. I accept it as a call to service because of my belief that Nigeria shall rise and work again.”

The actress and filmmaker said her decision to accept the ticket was driven by her concern about the hardship faced by many Nigerians.

She painted a grim picture of the country’s socio-economic situation, citing poverty, unemployment, insecurity, failing businesses and worsening living conditions.

Okereke said, “Our nation is bleeding. Millions of our people are trapped in pain, poverty, fear and uncertainty.”

She added, “Families sleep in darkness in a nation overflowing with energy resources. Graduates roam the streets without jobs. Businesses collapse under the weight of economic hardship.”

Okereke said Nigeria was facing what she called “systemic failure,” but insisted that the country still had the capacity to recover if citizens embraced hope and responsible leadership.

She maintained that the suffering in the country should not be treated as permanent, saying there was still room for restoration and a better future.

According to her, “Beyond the suffering, there is restoration, hope and a greater Nigerian future waiting to emerge.”

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

The leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, has formally welcomed former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, and former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Victor Ochei, into the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Dickson disclosed this in a statement posted on his official Facebook page on Thursday, May 28, 2026, where he also announced that the party had granted both politicians waivers to participate in the NDC senatorial primaries scheduled for Friday.

According to him, Omo-Agege and Ochei would contest in their respective senatorial districts under the platform of the party.

“It was a pleasure to warmly receive Distinguished Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, CFR, former Deputy Senate President, into our great party, alongside Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei, former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly.

“I am also pleased to announce that the NDC has not only received them warmly but has equally granted them waivers to contest in the senatorial primaries in their respective districts tomorrow,” Dickson stated.

The latest development comes amid ongoing political realignments in Delta State following Omo-Agege’s recent resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Earlier on Thursday, Omo-Agege officially confirmed his defection to the NDC and declared his intention to contest the Delta Central Senatorial seat in the 2027 elections.

Multiple reports also confirmed that the NDC leadership approved waivers for both Omo-Agege and Ochei to participate in the primaries despite their recent entry into the party.

Dickson explained that the decision followed weeks of consultations aimed at strengthening the NDC’s structure in the South-South region and across Nigeria.

“This development is the result of several weeks of consultations aimed at strengthening the foundations of our party in the South-South region and across the country,” he added.

He further urged party members and supporters to embrace the new entrants and work together toward the party’s electoral ambitions ahead of 2027.

The defection of Omo-Agege, a former APC governorship candidate in Delta State, alongside the movement of other political figures into the NDC, is expected to reshape political calculations in the state as parties intensify preparations for the next election cycle.