Activist and former senatorial aspirant in the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Aisha Yesufu, has dismissed reports suggesting she withdrew from the party’s FCT senatorial primary, insisting that she remained in the contest until its conclusion.
In a statement on Saturday, Yesufu said media headlines portraying her as having “quit” or “stepped down” from the race were inaccurate and required immediate correction.
According to her, she did not abandon her ambition at any stage of the process, but participated fully in the primary election, which she described as flawed and procedurally compromised.
“My attention has been drawn to headlines across multiple media platforms characterising my acceptance of the outcome of the senatorial primary as a ‘quit’ or ‘step down.’ These headlines are factually incorrect and must be corrected,” she said.
Yesufu maintained that the outcome of the primary did not reflect a voluntary withdrawal on her part, but the result of an internal party process she believes was not properly conducted.
“I did not withdraw from the primary. I contested it to its conclusion. A flawed process produced a different outcome, one I consider procedurally compromised,” she stated.
She explained that despite her reservations about the conduct of the exercise, she chose not to escalate the matter in the interest of party unity and broader political considerations.
“I chose, in the interest of party unity and the larger national project, to accept that outcome rather than pursue a protracted dispute,” she added.
The activist stressed that her decision to accept the result should not be interpreted as defeat or withdrawal, but as a strategic political choice.
“That decision was strategic, not an admission of defeat,” she said.
Yesufu further noted that her political focus has now shifted to the 2027 presidential election, which she described as the most consequential contest in the current electoral cycle.
According to her, her priority is to support efforts aimed at ensuring the emergence of a stronger candidate in the presidential race.
In a Facebook post accompanying her statement, she reiterated her rejection of the “quit” narrative and demanded corrections from media organisations that carried it.
“To all media houses — I did not quit. I did not step down. Correct your headline,” she wrote.
“I fought for my senatorial ticket to the very end. A flawed primary was conducted and someone else was declared. I reject the narrative that I ‘quit’.”
She added that accepting the outcome was a conscious decision taken to preserve unity within the party and avoid internal crisis ahead of the general election.
“What I did was choose, for the greater good of the party and the nation, to accept a flawed outcome rather than tear the NDC apart when a bigger fight looms,” she said.
Yesufu also emphasized that the presidential election remains her main political focus going forward.
“The 2027 presidential election is the prize that matters in this electoral cycle. I am backing the better candidate in that race. That is where my energy belongs,” she stated.
She concluded by urging the media to accurately reflect her position, insisting that public record must not misrepresent her participation in the senatorial primary.
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