ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigerian activist Aisha Yesufu has voiced her displeasure with the conduct of the Anambra State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election held on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
In a candid video shared on her YouTube page on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, Yesufu criticised the electoral process, calling attention to what she described as the “shady” manner in which the election was carried out.
In her video, Yesufu commended the statement issued by Ozigbo on the election, particularly praising the person who crafted the speech: “Very lovely speech. Whoever wrote this speech, thumbs up to that person,” she said.
However, her praise quickly turned into criticism of the political process, as she pointed out the vital role that political parties play in determining the leadership of the nation.
“What I have learnt from this speech is that parties are very important and parties are the ones holding the destiny of Nigerians in their hands,” Yesufu continued.
“So we cannot continue to give political parties to charlatans because they are the ones that will choose who will rule or govern us at the end of the day.”
Yesufu emphasised that the power held by political parties often leads to manipulation and denies the public the opportunity to elect the best candidates.
“It is parties that they use to manipulate and deny people the opportunity of having a good candidate,” she said, acknowledging that her viewpoint might appear biased but stressing the importance of integrity in the electoral process.
Yesufu also weighed in on the APC’s primary winner, Nicholas Ukachukwu, and questioned whether the process was fair.
She stated, “I have seen a few things written about the candidate that won, and one thing I’m going to say is Valentine Ozigbo would have been a better choice for APC.”
While she admitted her disappointment over Ozigbo’s decision to join APC, she argued that Ozigbo appeared to be the “best option” among the candidates.
Regarding the election results, Yesufu raised concerns about the fairness of the process, particularly questioning the low votes received by Ozigbo.
“If the primary election was free and fair, would he (Ozigbo) have gotten a mere 67 votes against another person with over one thousand votes? That’s not a primary,” she stated, expressing her belief that the election results were not representative of the people’s true choice.
Yesufu closed her remarks by advocating for a future where the best candidates, not just those with political backing, are chosen to run for office.
“We must make sure that parties have no option but to give us the best. I would rather have the best of the best running for office so I will be choosing among bests, rather than choosing among the worst,” she said, underscoring the need for a more transparent and fair process in Nigerian politics.
