By Peter Omopo
The National President of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson, has revealed that the party previously offered activist Aisha Yesufu an opportunity to contest for a seat in the House of Representatives, but she declined the offer.
Dickson made the disclosure during a recent interview, excerpts of which circulated widely on social media on Friday. According to him, the offer was jointly made by himself and the NDC’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
“Do you know that Peter Obi and myself offered Aisha House of Reps? The public does not know. And she turned it down,” Dickson said.
He noted that elective positions such as seats in the House of Representatives are highly sought after by many politicians, adding that Yesufu chose not to accept the opportunity.
The revelation comes amid recent controversy surrounding the NDC’s candidate selection process for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senate seat. Yesufu had accused the party of undermining the process and manipulating it to produce a predetermined outcome.
The activist, who recently joined the NDC from the African Democratic Congress and declared her intention to contest for the FCT senatorial seat, said she entered the race expecting a transparent and competitive process.
However, reports that the party opted against conducting a primary election for the position effectively ended her bid and cleared the way for another aspirant, Amanda Pam.
Reacting to the development, Yesufu urged her supporters to remain committed to the broader political objective of achieving meaningful change ahead of the 2027 general elections.
She maintained that she would not compromise her principles for political advantage, insisting that her transition into partisan politics was an extension of her advocacy work.
“I understood what I was getting into. I knew that the quality of our politics has not yet risen to the occasion and that values-based candidates do not easily emerge by merit in a system built to resist them,” she said.
Yesufu added that she remained committed to promoting accountability, transparency and principled leadership, stressing that she entered politics to advance the ideals she had long championed as an activist.
The latest disclosure by Dickson has added a new dimension to ongoing discussions about internal party processes within the NDC as preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum.
