By Sharon Akuboh
Human rights advocate and politician Aisha Yesufu has explained why she refused to accept what she described as an unjust political process, insisting that she would not benefit from a system she believed denied other aspirants a fair opportunity.
Yesufu made the remarks while speaking at the 5th Annual International Conference and Summit of the Standup for Women Society (SWS) in Abuja, where she urged women to participate actively in politics and decision-making.
Speaking about her experience in the political space, Yesufu recalled her attempt to contest for the Senate in the Federal Capital Territory and alleged that her party initially refused to conduct a primary election for the position.
She said she was eventually offered a slot but rejected it because accepting the ticket under such circumstances would have made her a beneficiary of a process she considered unjust.
“I will never partake in an unjust process just because I’m going to be a beneficiary,” Yesufu said.
She explained that several aspirants had obtained forms and spent money in pursuit of the same political opportunity.
According to her, accepting a ticket without allowing a transparent contest would have contradicted the principles of fairness and accountability she had consistently advocated.
“If I then take a ticket where 20 people had bought forms and they have spent millions for them to get in and they just take it and give me, that is injustice,” she said.
Yesufu argued that accepting such an arrangement would have undermined the legitimacy of any mandate she subsequently obtained.
She said she could not spend years criticising what she regarded as illegitimate political processes and then turn around to benefit from a similar process when it favoured her.
The activist said political participation should therefore go beyond seeking positions and winning elections.
For her, the process through which candidates emerge is equally important.
‘Politics is everybody’s business’
Yesufu used the experience to call on Nigerian women to become more involved in politics rather than waiting for political structures to create opportunities for them.
She said women must participate in shaping the systems that determine who occupies positions of power.
“Politics is everybody’s business,” she said.
She urged women to stop waiting for political parties or existing institutions to give them space, arguing that the system was not necessarily designed to make room for everyone.
According to her, women must work collectively to change the system and ensure that more women are present wherever decisions affecting society are made.
Yesufu also said she did not want to be the only woman in rooms where important decisions were being taken.
She argued that there are many capable women whose voices remain unheard and urged women who gain access to positions of influence to create opportunities for others.
The comments come amid earlier controversy over Yesufu’s 2027 FCT Senate ambition under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
In June 2026, NDC National Secretary Ikenna Enekweizu said Yesufu lost the party’s Senate primary and maintained that the party had allowed her to pursue the Senate ambition despite earlier discussions around an AMAC/Gwari House of Representatives seat.
Enekweizu also said 23 aspirants had obtained expression-of-interest and nomination forms for the AMAC/Gwari position and rejected suggestions that Yesufu had been singled out.
Yesufu’s latest remarks, however, place the issue within a broader argument about political integrity, fairness and women’s participation in Nigeria’s political system.
For Yesufu, securing political power should not come at the expense of the principles used to demand accountability from those already in power.
I can’t collect the sweat of others and that’s why I rejected the ticket from that political party. People had already picked forms and so it was not fair to deny them.