Politics
2027: Obi Supporters Won’t Trust INEC With Their Votes — Aisha Yesufu
2027: Obi Supporters Won’t Trust INEC With Their Votes — Aisha Yesufu
Political activist and member of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Aisha Yesufu, has said supporters of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will not rely solely on electoral institutions to protect their votes in the 2027 presidential election.
Yesufu said Obi supporters would establish strong structures at polling units and deploy representatives to monitor voting, counting and the movement of result sheets through the various stages of collation, up to the final declaration in Abuja.
She made the remarks during an interview on Arise News, where she discussed Obi’s chances in the 2027 presidential election, the lessons from the 2023 election and the strategy she believes his supporters should adopt ahead of the next poll.
According to Yesufu, the experience of 2023 showed the need for voters and political organisations to take a more active role in monitoring the electoral process after ballots have been cast.
“Yes, we are going to have people at every polling unit to protect the votes,” she said.
She explained that the proposed structure would monitor results from the polling unit through the ward, local government and state collation levels until the final collation in Abuja.
“No result sheet will leave our sight. We will follow the results from the polling units all the way to Abuja,” Yesufu said.
She said the objective was to ensure that the results eventually declared accurately reflected the votes cast by Nigerians.
Yesufu further said she had “zero trust” in INEC, security agencies and the judiciary, arguing that voters could not afford to leave the protection of their votes entirely to public institutions.
Her comments highlight the emphasis she intends to place on grassroots mobilisation and vote protection ahead of the 2027 election.
Rather than focusing exclusively on large campaign rallies, Yesufu said supporters should build structures at the grassroots and prepare people to monitor the electoral process at their respective polling units.
She had earlier explained that Nigerians should not expect to see her travelling around the country with Obi in the same manner she did during the 2023 campaign.
According to her, her role in the previous election was largely focused on helping to mobilise support for Obi and counter perceptions that his candidacy was limited to a particular ethnic or religious group.
For the 2027 election, she said her priority would be to help establish structures capable of mobilising voters and ensuring that votes cast for Obi are properly counted and protected.
Yesufu has urged supporters to organise themselves before election day and understand the procedures for voting, counting and result collation.
She believes that monitoring should continue beyond the polling unit, with supporters following the results through the ward, local government and state collation centres.
Her position comes amid continuing debate over electoral transparency, result management and voter confidence in INEC ahead of the 2027 general election.
INEC remains legally responsible for conducting elections and managing the official collation and declaration of results, while political parties and their accredited agents are entitled to observe proceedings and raise objections through established legal channels.
Yesufu’s call for greater vigilance is therefore centred on encouraging supporters to observe the process closely and ensure that discrepancies are documented and challenged through lawful mechanisms.
She also spoke about the recent incident in Benue State, where Obi’s movement was reportedly obstructed while he was attempting to reach the Yelwata area.
Yesufu defended Obi’s decision not to engage those who reportedly blocked his convoy, arguing that he had other engagements to attend and should not allow people she described as “miscreants” to dictate his movements.
The incident generated political reactions, particularly over the circumstances surrounding Obi’s reported inability to proceed to the area.
Yesufu also expressed confidence in Peter Obi’s chances in the 2027 presidential election, arguing that economic hardship and insecurity would be important factors in determining how Nigerians vote.
She criticised the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing it as a “colossal failure” and arguing that improvements claimed in some macroeconomic indicators had not translated sufficiently into better living conditions for ordinary Nigerians.
According to Yesufu, Nigerians remain concerned about rising living costs, insecurity and declining purchasing power, adding that economic policies should ultimately be judged by their effect on households and businesses.
She also argued that voters were increasingly interested in competence, character and capacity, rather than allowing religious or ethnic considerations to determine their choices.
Yesufu expressed confidence that Obi could perform strongly across the country and specifically said she expected him to retain significant support in Lagos during the 2027 election.
Her comments come as opposition parties continue preparations for the 2027 presidential contest.
Obi is the NDC presidential candidate, while Atiku Abubakar is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Both opposition figures have continued to pursue their respective political platforms amid discussions about possible cooperation among opposition parties.
Obi has also said recently that any agreement involving opposition presidential candidates would ultimately have to be negotiated by the political parties rather than by individual candidates alone.
The opposition landscape therefore remains fluid, with discussions about alliances, cooperation and the possibility of a common strategy continuing ahead of the 2027 election.
For Yesufu, however, political alliances are only one aspect of the challenge facing opposition parties.
She said the immediate priority should be ensuring that supporters are organised at the grassroots and prepared to participate actively in protecting their votes on election day.
The activist, who said she was not seeking elective office, said her focus would remain on mobilising supporters for the 2027 presidential election and helping to ensure that votes cast for Obi are properly accounted for.
She believes the experience of the 2023 election demonstrated that campaign popularity must be matched by effective election-day organisation.
Her strategy therefore places greater responsibility on supporters to understand the electoral process, remain present during counting, verify result entries and follow the lawful collation process.
As preparations for the 2027 general election intensify, Yesufu’s comments are likely to add to the debate over voter mobilisation, electoral credibility, result transmission and the capacity of political parties to protect their votes.
For the activist, winning support at campaign rallies is only part of the electoral contest. The greater challenge, she argues, is ensuring that every vote cast is counted, correctly recorded and followed through the collation process.
2027: Obi Supporters Won’t Trust INEC With Their Votes — Aisha Yesufu
Politics
2027: ADC Vows to Collate, Share Polling-Unit Results Despite INEC Warning
2027: ADC Vows to Collate, Share Polling-Unit Results Despite INEC Warning
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has vowed to independently document, collate and share polling-unit results during the 2027 general elections, despite a warning from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against the publication of privately collated results.
The ADC said its plan is aimed at protecting votes cast for its candidates and ensuring that results announced at the end of the electoral process reflect the figures recorded at polling units.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the ADC recognised INEC’s statutory responsibility to collate and officially declare election results, but maintained that citizens and political parties have the right to collect and share information, including election results.
Abdullahi’s position followed a recent warning by INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, against the sharing of privately collated election results.
The ADC argued that independently gathering and publishing polling-unit figures does not prevent INEC from carrying out its constitutional responsibility to conduct the election, collate official results and declare winners.
Under Nigeria’s electoral system, INEC conducts the official collation and declaration process through various levels, from the Registration Area and Local Government Area to state and, for the presidential election, the national level.
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The ADC said its independent collation would provide its candidates and supporters with their own record of results from polling units and allow them to compare those figures with results emerging through the official process.
The party has previously said its decision was influenced by the 2023 general elections, when concerns arose over the electronic transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
Abdullahi had said the party would no longer rely solely on INEC to protect its votes, arguing that political parties must put their own mechanisms in place to monitor results from polling units through the collation process.
The ADC has also raised concerns about the appointment of Returning and Collation Officers for the 2027 elections.
In September, the party called on INEC to review the use of academics who had openly expressed support for political candidates in sensitive electoral positions.
It argued that people who had publicly taken partisan positions should not subsequently be assigned responsibilities involving the collation of results or declaration of winners in elections contested by their preferred candidates.
The party urged INEC to publish the names of proposed Returning and Collation Officers ahead of the elections to allow political parties and members of the public to raise concerns about possible conflicts of interest.
The latest dispute has placed renewed focus on the distinction between independent election monitoring by political parties and the official collation and declaration of results, which remains the responsibility of INEC.
The ADC maintains that its planned collection and publication of polling-unit figures is intended to promote transparency and protect its votes, rather than replace INEC’s official declaration.
As preparations for the 2027 elections intensify, the disagreement highlights the growing debate over how political parties, election observers and citizens should independently monitor results while preserving INEC’s legal authority over the official electoral process.
2027: ADC Vows to Collate, Share Polling-Unit Results Despite INEC Warning
Politics
Killings, Hardship: Northern Islamic Clerics Tell Tinubu to Drop 2027 Ambition
Killings, Hardship: Northern Islamic Clerics Tell Tinubu to Drop 2027 Ambition
More than 1,000 northern Islamic clerics have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to abandon his ambition to seek re-election in 2027, citing persistent killings, kidnappings, terrorism and economic hardship across the country.
The clerics made the demand in a communiqué issued after a national conference in Kano titled “An Assessment of the State of the Nation under President Tinubu and the 2027 General Elections.”
The conference was organised under the Ko Da Naka platform in collaboration with the AFAQ Educational Foundation.
The clerics expressed particular concern over worsening insecurity in the North-West, where communities have continued to face attacks, kidnappings and other forms of violence.
They urged the Federal Government to take stronger and more effective measures to protect lives and property, warning that the security situation should be a major consideration in determining who Nigerians support in the 2027 elections.
The clerics also asked Tinubu to reconsider his plan to seek another term in office.
They said that if the President decides to contest despite what they described as the country’s worsening security and economic challenges, Nigerians should reject his candidacy at the polls.
The group said political leaders must be judged by their performance in office rather than party affiliation, ethnic identity or regional interests.
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The clerics also criticised key economic policies of the Tinubu administration, including the removal of the fuel subsidy, changes to the foreign exchange regime, increases in electricity tariffs and ongoing tax reforms.
They argued that the policies had contributed to rising living costs and increased pressure on households, businesses and vulnerable Nigerians.
According to the clerics, the government should review policies that have increased the cost of living and focus more on improving citizens’ welfare.
They also raised concerns about the continued migration of skilled Nigerian professionals, including doctors, teachers and engineers, to other countries.
The clerics attributed the trend partly to poor working conditions, inadequate facilities, unemployment and economic pressures, urging the government to create better opportunities for professionals to remain in Nigeria.
They further called on Islamic scholars and religious leaders to remain independent and speak against wrongdoing regardless of the political party, ethnicity or religion of those involved.
The clerics urged Nigerians to place national interest above religious, ethnic and political considerations when choosing leaders in 2027.
They said voters should assess political candidates based on their competence, integrity, experience and policies rather than relying solely on party loyalty.
The intervention comes as political parties and presidential aspirants intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections, with insecurity, economic hardship and governance expected to feature prominently in the political debate.
The clerics’ position adds another voice to the growing scrutiny of the Tinubu administration as political activities ahead of the 2027 presidential election gather momentum.
Killings, Hardship: Northern Islamic Clerics Tell Tinubu to Drop 2027 Ambition
Politics
2027: Donald Duke Pledges To Bring Petrol Price Down To N300 Per Litre
2027: Donald Duke Pledges To Bring Petrol Price Down To N300 Per Litre
Presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has pledged to work towards reducing the price of petrol to about N300 per litre if elected president in the 2027 presidential election.
Duke, a former governor of Cross River State, made the pledge during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, where he outlined his proposed approach to the petroleum sector and Nigeria’s wider economy.
The PRP candidate said petroleum products for domestic consumption should be priced based on the cost of production rather than being fully exposed to international market prices.
He proposed allocating about 600,000 barrels of crude oil per day for domestic consumption, while selling the remaining crude on the international market.
Asked what petrol could cost under his proposed administration, Duke said: “I will try and bring it to about N300.”
He acknowledged that the target could appear ambitious but maintained that his proposed crude allocation and domestic pricing model could make it achievable.
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Duke argued that fuel prices have a direct impact on transportation, businesses and household expenses, making affordable energy important to economic activity.
“Fuel drives your economy. It should be available. It should be affordable,” he said.
The former Cross River governor also indicated that he would pursue a different economic approach from the policies of President Bola Tinubu if elected.
His proposal comes amid continuing debate over petrol prices, fuel subsidy removal, domestic refining and crude oil allocation in Nigeria.
The N300 target is part of Duke’s proposed 2027 economic agenda and would depend on the implementation of the policies he has outlined if he wins the presidential election.
2027: Donald Duke Pledges To Bring Petrol Price Down To N300 Per Litre
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