ABUJA, Nigeria — Prominent activist and socio-political commentator Aisha Yesufu has officially withdrawn from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) senatorial race under the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Yesufu made the announcement on Friday, May 29, revealing that the NDC national leadership has decided to cancel the scheduled primary election for the FCT senatorial ticket, effectively shutting down her bid for the 2027 general elections.
Okay News reports that Yesufu broke the news to her supporters via an official statement, explaining that while the senatorial primaries had been scrapped, the party would still proceed with internal elections for the House of Representatives positions within the capital territory.
“Our party has decided not to conduct primaries for the Senatorial seat in FCT Abuja. It however intends to conduct primaries for House of Representatives! Go ahead and make your choice known!” Yesufu stated. She urged her grassroots followers to stay calm, adding, “I urge each and everyone of you to remain calm and focus on the bigger picture which is the presidential election. Nigeria will be OK!”
The sudden structural shift follows weeks of intense political speculation that the NDC hierarchy had opted to bypass a competitive primary in order to cede the ticket to Amanda Pam, an established party loyalist who held significant sway prior to Yesufu’s recent high-profile defection from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on May 6.
Despite the abrupt end to her legislative campaign, the co-convener of the #BringBackOurGirls movement expressed profound appreciation to the #AishaForSenate team. She pledged to embark on a tour of all six FCT Area Councils in the coming week to personally thank residents, reinforcing her commitment to continuous civic advocacy for a more inclusive and developed capital city.
