Aisha Yesufu Was Offered Automatic Ticket For Abuja Reps Seat, Rejected It – Dickson

By Ayodele Oni

National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson, has revealed that he and the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi,initially offered activist Aisha Yesufu a ticket to contest for the House of Representatives, but she declined.

Dickson made the disclosure during a stakeholders’ meeting of the party held in Abuja, amid ongoing internal disagreements within the party.

According to him, the offer was made as part of efforts to involve Yesufu in the party’s political structure, but she reportedly rejected it, saying she was “too big” for the position.

“AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency was offered to Aisha. Dickson told her, ‘I can do this one for her. Even if there are people who have been asking, this one I can give to her unopposed.

“I will make sure she emerges unopposed. No need for primaries. It will be: this is who the party is going with, full stop. This is Peter Obi’s candidate. This is Seriake Dickson’s candidate, full stop.’

“Aisha declined. Apparently she is too big for the House of Representatives; she wants to start with the Senate.

“Even our presidential candidate, Peter Obi, told Aisha, ‘See, take this thing. If I am lying, Aisha should respond and tell me that I am lying.’ He told Aisha, ‘Take this thing. This is good for your career. This is good for your trajectory. You have not been in an elective office before.’

“Aisha said no.

“For two days, Dickson sat down with Aisha and was telling her to take it. Obi called her. In fact, to show faith, they left it for 24 hours before the primaries. It was still for Aisha if she had just agreed to have it given to her.

“She declined. She did not agree.

“Dickson even told her, ‘Even me, I started my elective office as House of Representatives. Start from somewhere. You are young. You are energetic.’

“Aisha did not agree.

“What would Dickson do? He had given his word to somebody. The same way he gave his word to Obi that he would be the presidential candidate, he cannot go back on it. He is a man of his word.

“What now? Aisha goes around blackmailing the party, saying all sorts of things. You would assume that the party cheated her unfairly.

“Meanwhile, eventually 23 people picked forms for the House of Representatives seat, something that was offered to Aisha Yesufu: ‘Take it, it is all yours. The party will agree that you are a consensus candidate and that will be it.’

“Or, worst-case scenario, they tell all the people who had shown interest, ‘Take back your money, this one has gone to Aisha Yesufu.”

The clarification is coming following Aisha Yesufu’s remarks accusing Dickson of over assessing himself.

She write on her X “With all due respect sir, it looks as if you consider the NDC a Special Purpose Vehicle whose aim has been achieved just by being registered instead of a political party whose aim is to win the 2027 general election decisively,” she added.

Yesufu maintained that the party’s immediate priority should be electoral victory in 2027, warning that internal ego battles and poor conflict management could undermine that goal.

She urged leaders to adopt humility in handling disputes, insisting that effective leadership requires accountability and the ability to unify divergent interests within the party.

“No one can take away your leadership of NDC, no one is interested in that! The focus is Nigeria winning the 2027 election,” she wrote.