Political activist and member of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Aisha Yesufu, says Obi supporters will take direct responsibility for protecting their votes in the 2027 presidential election rather than relying entirely on electoral institutions.
Yesufu said supporters of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, would have representatives at polling units across the country to monitor voting, results and the movement of election materials throughout the collation process.
She disclosed this during an interview on Arise News while assessing Obi’s prospects in the 2027 election and reflecting on the outcome of the 2023 presidential poll.
According to her, the experience of the 2023 election had convinced supporters that stronger grassroots organisation was necessary to ensure votes were properly accounted for.
Yesufu said representatives would monitor results from polling units through the ward, local government and state collation stages before following them to the final collation point in Abuja.
She stressed that the strategy was intended to ensure that the results eventually declared corresponded with the votes recorded at polling units.
The activist also expressed a lack of confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, security agencies and the judiciary, saying citizens should not leave the responsibility of protecting their votes entirely to institutions.
She argued that greater attention should therefore be given to polling units and grassroots mobilisation, rather than relying mainly on large campaign rallies.
On the recent incident in Benue State involving an alleged obstruction of Obi’s movement, Yesufu defended the candidate’s decision not to confront those who blocked his convoy.
She said Obi had other engagements to attend and should not allow what she described as “miscreants” to determine his movements.
Yesufu also expressed confidence in Obi’s chances of winning the 2027 presidential election.
She argued that economic hardship and insecurity were increasingly shaping voters’ concerns, with Nigerians paying greater attention to how government policies affect their everyday lives.
The activist criticised the Tinubu administration, describing it as a “colossal failure” and arguing that improvements claimed in some macroeconomic indicators had yet to translate into better living conditions for many Nigerians.
She pointed to rising living costs, insecurity and reduced purchasing power as issues that should be considered when assessing the performance of any government.
Yesufu further argued that Obi could benefit from what she described as a growing voter preference for competence, character and capacity over religious considerations.
She predicted that Obi would retain Lagos in 2027 while making substantial gains in other parts of the country.
Yesufu, who said she was not seeking an elective position, maintained that her priority was mobilising supporters and ensuring that votes cast for Obi were adequately protected.
She said the lessons of 2023 had demonstrated the need for supporters to build a stronger presence at the grassroots if voters were to have greater confidence that their choices would determine the final election outcome.
