Activist Aisha Yesufu has revealed why she turned down a House of Representatives ticket from the Nigeria Democratic Congress. She made the disclosure at a public lecture on Thursday in Abuja.
About 20 aspirants had already purchased nomination forms for the same seat. Yesufu said she refused to join what she called an irregular process.
"I was not going to be part of that system even though it would benefit me," she told the audience at Veritas University in Bwari. She explained that accepting would have cheated other candidates who'd invested time and money.
According to Yesufu, the arrangement was fundamentally unjust. "The process was criminal," she added, questioning how politicians could ignore the law while claiming to uphold it.
She emphasized that losing honorably matters more to her than winning through unfair means. "I would rather stand with ordinary people than pursue titles through an unjust process," the activist noted.
Yesufu's comments came after NDC National Leader Seriake Dickson revealed he and presidential candidate Peter Obi had offered her the ticket. Her rejection followed earlier allegations that the party's FCT senatorial primaries were rigged against her.
During the same lecture on citizens' participation in governance, Yesufu urged young Nigerians to engage actively in politics. She stressed that real political involvement means more than just voting on election day.
Human rights lawyer Dr. Maxwell Opara also addressed the gathering.
He identified Nigeria's judiciary as the country's biggest obstacle to democracy.
According to Opara, court delays, procedural obstacles, and uneven application of judgments undermine democratic institutions. Both speakers called for stronger citizen involvement to boost accountability in the system.
