Political activist and member of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Aisha Yesufu, has said supporters of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will take responsibility for safeguarding their votes in the 2027 presidential election rather than depend entirely on electoral institutions.
Yesufu said Obi’s supporters would have representatives stationed at polling units to monitor the handling of election materials and track results as they move through the various collation centres up to Abuja.
She made the remarks during an interview with Arise News while assessing Obi’s prospects in the 2027 presidential election and reflecting on the lessons from the 2023 poll.
According to her, the events of the 2023 election demonstrated the need for voters and political organisations to become more actively involved in protecting the votes cast at polling units.
“Yes, we are going to have people at every polling unit to protect the votes,” Yesufu said.
She explained that the proposed structure would involve monitoring results throughout the collation process, beginning at the polling unit and continuing through the ward, local government and state levels before the final declaration in Abuja.
“No result sheet will leave our sight. We will follow the results from the polling units all the way to Abuja,” she said.
Yesufu said the objective was to ensure that the final results announced by the relevant authorities accurately represented the votes cast by Nigerians during the election.
The activist also disclosed that she had “zero trust” in the Independent National Electoral Commission, security agencies and the judiciary, arguing that citizens should not leave the responsibility of protecting their votes solely in the hands of institutions.
She said the 2027 election would consequently demand stronger grassroots mobilisation, with Obi’s supporters paying particular attention to polling units instead of focusing only on rallies and campaign activities.
Commenting on the recent incident in Benue State, where Obi’s movement was reportedly obstructed, Yesufu defended his decision not to confront those who blocked his convoy.
She maintained that Obi had other engagements scheduled for the day and should not allow what she described as “miscreants” to determine his movements or disrupt his programme.
Yesufu also expressed optimism about Obi’s chances of winning the 2027 presidential election, arguing that economic hardship and insecurity had made Nigerians increasingly concerned about issues affecting their everyday lives.
She criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu, describing it as a “colossal failure” and maintaining that the government’s claims of improvements in macroeconomic indicators had not translated into better living conditions for ordinary Nigerians.
According to her, citizens continued to face higher costs of living, insecurity and reduced purchasing power. She argued that the effectiveness of economic policies should ultimately be judged by how they affect the welfare and living standards of Nigerians.
Yesufu further argued that Obi could benefit from what she described as a growing preference among voters for competence, character and capacity over religious considerations.
She expressed confidence that Obi would retain his support in Lagos in 2027 and record substantial gains in other parts of the country.
Yesufu, who said she had no intention of contesting for an elective position, explained that her priority was to mobilise supporters ahead of the 2027 presidential election and ensure that votes were adequately protected.
She added that the 2023 experience had demonstrated the importance of stronger grassroots organisation, stressing that supporters would need to be better coordinated if the votes cast by Nigerians were to determine the eventual outcome of the election.
