The National Secretary of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Ikenna Enekweizu, has disclosed that the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, had initially supported plans for activist and politician Aisha Yesufu to contest for the AMAC/Gwari House of Representatives seat rather than the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senate position.
Enekweizu made the revelation during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday, shedding more light on the controversy surrounding Yesufu’s brief senatorial ambition and her eventual withdrawal from the race.
According to the NDC secretary, discussions between Obi and the party leadership after the former Anambra State governor joined the party were focused on building consensus around the AMAC/Gwari House of Representatives ticket.
He said Obi personally informed him of his desire for Yesufu to represent the party in the lower legislative contest.
“When Peter Obi joined the party, part of what we wanted to do with him was to allow him help us build consensus on who will be the candidate of the party for the AMAC/Gwari seat,” Enekweizu said.
“He told me personally that he wanted Aisha Yesufu to run for the House of Representatives seat of AMAC/Gwari.
“But two or three days after he said this to me, I was surprised to read on social media that Aisha is running for Senate. We didn’t discuss that.”
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The disclosure adds a new dimension to ongoing debates within the party over candidate selection and internal democracy as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections.
Enekweizu explained that following Yesufu’s decision to pursue the Senate ticket, the party leadership engaged in extensive consultations and made efforts to persuade her to reconsider and contest for the House of Representatives seat instead.
According to him, the party’s national leader, Seriake Dickson, met with Yesufu on two separate occasions in a bid to convince her to accept the lower legislative ticket.
“The national leader of the party invited Aisha Yesufu, met with her twice, appealing to her to run for the House of Representatives,” he said.
“But Aisha said she was bigger than the reps office. She said she wanted to be a senator and nothing would stop her from going to the Senate. So we allowed her to run.”
The NDC secretary maintained that the party did not prevent Yesufu from pursuing her ambition and allowed her to participate in the primary process.
However, he noted that she was unsuccessful in her bid and should utilise the party’s internal dispute-resolution mechanisms if she believes she was unfairly treated.
“Aisha Yesufu lost the primary election. If she feels aggrieved, a lot of people who also lost the primaries in other constituencies have been reaching out to us,” he stated.
Enekweizu also rejected claims that Yesufu was singled out or treated differently because of her association with Obi and the Obidient movement.
He pointed out that numerous supporters of Obi had sought elective positions under the party’s platform, making it impossible for the leadership to favour one aspirant over others.
“She’s not the only supporter of Peter Obi that ran for AMAC/Gwari. Twenty-three aspirants bought the expression of interest and nomination form. How do we manage them all?” he asked.
The party official further stressed that the NDC constitution empowers the leadership to determine candidates for elective offices through established processes and guidelines.
His comments come just days after Dickson publicly stated that Obi and the party leadership had offered Yesufu an opportunity to contest for a House of Representatives seat, but that she declined the proposal.