Political activist Aisha Yesufu, a member of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, has said that supporters of presidential candidate Peter Obi will not rely solely on electoral institutions to safeguard their votes ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Instead, she said, the party plans to deploy representatives to polling units and closely track election materials and results as they move through collation centres en route to Abuja.
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remarks during an interview on Arise News, where she reflected on lessons drawn from the 2023 election and assessed Obi’s prospects heading into 2027. She argued that the experience of the last election has made it essential for voters and political groups to take a far more hands-on role in protecting the integrity of their votes.
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“Yes, we are going to have people at every polling unit to protect the votes,” Yesufu said, explaining that the strategy involves tracking results at every stage of the collation process — from polling units up through ward, local government, and state levels, all the way to the final declaration in Abuja.
“No result sheet will leave our sight. We will follow the results from the polling units all the way to Abuja,” she said, adding that the goal is to ensure the results ultimately announced genuinely reflect the votes cast by Nigerians.
“Zero trust” in INEC, security agencies, judiciary
Yesufu did not mince words about her skepticism toward Nigeria’s electoral and judicial institutions, saying she has “zero trust” in INEC, security agencies, and the judiciary. She maintained that citizens simply cannot afford to leave vote protection entirely in the hands of these institutions, stressing that 2027 will demand stronger grassroots mobilization — with supporters focusing their energy on polling units rather than depending solely on rallies and campaign events.
Defends Obi’s response to Benue obstruction
Addressing the recent incident in Benue State, where Obi’s movement was reportedly blocked, Yesufu defended his decision not to confront those responsible. She argued that Obi had other commitments that day and shouldn’t allow what she called “miscreants” to dictate his schedule or movements.
Confidence in Obi’s chances
Yesufu expressed optimism about Obi’s prospects in 2027, arguing that Nigerians are increasingly focused on how economic hardship and insecurity are affecting their daily lives. She was sharply critical of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, calling it a “colossal failure” and arguing that improvements in macroeconomic indicators touted by the government have failed to translate into better living standards for ordinary citizens.
She pointed to rising costs, worsening insecurity, and declining purchasing power as the realities Nigerians are grappling with, insisting that economic policy should ultimately be judged by its impact on people’s lives — not abstract figures.
Yesufu also said she believes Obi holds an advantage because voters are becoming more focused on competence, character, and capacity rather than religious identity when choosing a candidate. She further predicted that Obi would retain Lagos in 2027 and make notable inroads in other parts of the country.
Yesufu, who clarified that she is not seeking any elective office herself, said her focus remains on mobilizing supporters ahead of the 2027 election and ensuring votes are properly protected. She reiterated that the lessons of 2023 show supporters must be far better organized at the grassroots level if the outcome of the next election is to genuinely reflect the will of Nigerian voters.
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