The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has said that its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, initially preferred activist Aisha Yesufu to contest a House of Representatives seat in the AMAC/Gwagwalada constituency, rather than pursue a Senate ticket.
The party’s national secretary, Ikenna Enekweizu, made the disclosure during an interview on Channels Television’s *Politics Today*.
Enekweizu said early discussions between Obi and the party leadership focused on consolidating support around the AMAC/Gwagwalada House of Representatives seat after Obi joined the party.
He said Obi directly communicated his preference regarding Yesufu’s political ambition.
“He told me personally that he wanted Aisha Yesufu to run for the House of Representatives seat of AMAC/Gwari,” Enekweizu said.
According to him, the party was later surprised when Yesufu’s Senate ambition surfaced publicly, noting that it was not part of earlier consultations.
“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,” he added.
Enekweizu said the party leadership later held meetings with Yesufu in an attempt to persuade her to contest for the lower chamber instead.
“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.
He added that she declined the proposal.
“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,” Enekweizu stated.
He confirmed that Yesufu eventually participated in the primaries but did not secure the party’s ticket.
“Aisha Yesufu lost the primary election,” he said.
Enekweizu also dismissed suggestions of unfair treatment, arguing that several aspirants loyal to Obi also contested the same ticket.
“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,” he said.
He maintained that the party has the constitutional authority to decide its candidates for elections and expects dissatisfied aspirants to use internal dispute resolution mechanisms.
The comments come amid ongoing disputes within the party over candidate selection in the FCT ahead of the 2027 elections. Senior party figure Seriake Dickson had earlier said Obi and party leaders initially encouraged Yesufu to contest a House of Representatives seat, but that she declined.
Yesufu, who previously led the #BringBackOurGirls campaign and remains a prominent figure within the Obidient political movement, had earlier declared interest in the FCT Senate race after joining the party from the African Democratic Congress before later withdrawing following internal adjustments to the ticket arrangement.
