NDC's Plan to Secure Votes in 2027 - Aisha Yesufu

Aisha Yesufu, an ally of Peter Obi from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), says the party will set up a network of election agents across Nigeria for the 2027 elections. These agents will monitor votes from polling units to the final results declared in Abuja.

Mrs Yesufu explained that this plan comes from lessons learned during the 2023 presidential election. She believes opposition supporters cannot just depend on electoral institutions to protect their votes.

She shared her thoughts on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday. “We have our own alternative means of ensuring that we are protected,” Mrs Yesufu said.

She mentioned that supporters will keep an eye on election materials and results at all levels. This includes polling units, wards, local government collation centres, state levels, and finally Abuja. “There is no time that any ballot paper, any ballot box, result sheet or the individual will be out of our sight,” she stated.

Monitoring Election Materials

According to her, the movement will assign people and resources to make sure that election materials are not tampered with during collation. “We will follow them using bikes, we will follow them using boats, we will follow them by air,” she added. Supporters will monitor the whole process until the results are officially declared.

Mrs Yesufu emphasized that the aim is to make sure the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) match the votes cast at the polling units. “We will ensure that no vote is changed from where it is voted and entered into the place where the INEC chairman declares the final result,” she said.

Strengthening Presence at Polling Units

She pointed out that the 2027 campaign will focus not only on rallies but also on having a strong presence at polling units. “It’s not going to be at the rallies only. For me, my own is to be at the streets at every polling unit, that we must take over every polling unit and ensure that every vote is protected,” she explained.

Groups are already being formed around polling units to prepare. “At every polling unit, right, we have a council. We have at least nothing less than 20, 50, 100 depending on the polling units already mapping that out,” she said.

This structure will unite supporters dedicated to protecting the votes for their candidates. Mrs Yesufu stated that the experience from the 2023 election has shown that voters and political groups must take charge of protecting their votes.

“The lesson from 2023 is that there’s no place of trusting the system or thinking that the institutions are going to do the right thing,” she added.

Belief in Obi's 2023 Win

Mrs Yesufu also mentioned that she still believes Mr Obi won the 2023 presidential election. This is despite INEC declaring President Bola Tinubu as the winner and courts rejecting the challenge. Mr Obi came third in the election with 6.1 million votes, after Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party with 6.9 million votes, and Mr Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress with 8.7 million votes.

Mr Obi and his supporters maintain that he actually won, even though they haven't been able to prove it.

Obi's Convoy Incident

Mrs Yesufu defended Mr Obi after his convoy was blocked in Benue State on Tuesday. Mr Obi was headed to Yelwata to sympathize with families affected by the 2025 attacks when thugs stopped his convoy on the Makurdi-Gboko federal highway. Police later arrested 46 suspects linked to the incident.

The Benue State Government denied any involvement and claimed they were unaware of Mr Obi’s visit. They also said the visit should have been coordinated with the relevant authorities.

Mrs Yesufu described Mr Obi as a brave politician in Nigeria. She said his choice not to push through the blockade was a wise move. “You need to understand something. There is a place where someone has to be strategic. You have a lot of things to do,” she said.

She believes this incident shows that the opposition needs to stay organized as they prepare for the 2027 election. These comments come as political parties step up grassroots efforts for the upcoming elections, with the NDC focusing more on protecting votes at polling units and through the results collation process.