Aisha Yesufu withdraws from FCT senatorial race after party decides against primaries

Human rights activist and politician, Aisha Yesufu, has pulled out of the Federal Capital Territory senatorial race under the platform of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Yesufu, who had earlier declared her intention to contest the FCT Senate seat, announced her withdrawal on Friday in a statement posted on her X (formerly Twitter) account. She informed her supporters that the party had resolved not to conduct primaries for the senatorial position, although it would proceed with primaries for the House of Representatives seats.

“Dear supporters, our party has decided not to conduct primaries for the Senatorial seat in FCT Abuja,” she wrote. “It however intends to conduct primaries for the House of Representatives! Go ahead and make your choice known!”

Yesufu urged her supporters to remain calm and focus on the bigger picture, which she described as the presidential election. She expressed appreciation for their dedication to the #AishaForSenate project and said she would return to all six area councils of the FCT in the coming week to thank residents for their warm welcome and continue to advocate for a better FCT.

The development comes amid speculation that the NDC had settled on another candidate, Amanda Pam, for the senatorial ticket through a consensus arrangement, although the party has not officially confirmed or denied this.

Meanwhile, a viral video circulating online showed some NDC members protesting at the Abuja residence of the party’s leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, reportedly demanding to know whether the leadership had anointed candidates for the FCT Senate and House of Representatives seats.

In the video, Dickson urged the protesters to proceed to the primary election venue for the House of Representatives, adding that the party had no anointed candidates for that position. However, regarding the Senate, he simply remarked, “That Senate, don’t go there,” before dismissing them to head to the primary venue.