Political activist and member of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Aisha Yesufu, has said supporters of the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will take direct responsibility for protecting their votes in the 2027 presidential election rather than relying entirely on electoral institutions.
Yesufu said the group would deploy representatives to polling units across the country and closely monitor the movement of election materials and result sheets through every stage of the collation process.
She made the disclosure during a television interview while discussing Obi’s chances in the 2027 presidential contest and the lessons supporters drew from the 2023 election.
According to her, the experience of the last presidential election had convinced Obi’s supporters that greater grassroots organization would be necessary if votes were to be accurately reflected in the final results.
“Yes, we are going to have people at every polling unit to protect the votes,” Yesufu said.
She explained that the monitoring would not end when voting closed at individual polling stations. Instead, supporters would follow the results as they moved from polling units to ward, local government and state collation centres and eventually to 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 results eventually declared by the electoral authorities corresponded with the votes cast by Nigerians at the polling units.
She also expressed strong reservations about the institutions responsible for conducting and securing elections. The activist said she had “zero trust” in the Independent National Electoral Commission, security agencies and the judiciary, arguing that citizens could not afford to leave the protection of their votes solely in the hands of state institutions.
She consequently called for stronger grassroots mobilization ahead of the election, saying supporters should place greater emphasis on polling-unit organization and result monitoring rather than relying primarily on rallies and campaign activities.
Commenting on the recent incident in Benue State, where Obi’s movement was reportedly obstructed, Yesufu defended the former Anambra State governor’s decision not to confront those who blocked his convoy.
She said Obi had other engagements to attend and should not allow what she described as “miscreants” to dictate his movements or derail his schedule.
Yesufu also expressed confidence in Obi’s prospects in the 2027 election, arguing that economic hardship, insecurity and declining purchasing power were becoming increasingly important considerations for voters.
She criticized the administration of President Bola Tinubu, describing it as a “colossal failure” and arguing that improvements reported in some macroeconomic indicators had not translated into better living conditions for ordinary Nigerians.
According to her, government policies should ultimately be judged by their effect on households and businesses rather than by economic figures that citizens do not feel in their daily lives.
Yesufu further argued that Obi could have an advantage because, in her assessment, voters were increasingly interested in competence, character and capacity rather than religious considerations.
She expressed confidence that Obi would retain significant support in Lagos and make gains in other parts of the country during the 2027 election.
The activist, who said she was not seeking an elective position, stated that her priority was mobilizing supporters for the presidential contest and ensuring that their votes were adequately protected.
Her comments add to the growing debate within opposition circles about how to prevent a repeat of the disputes and controversies that followed the 2023 presidential election, with Obi himself and his supporters increasingly emphasizing stronger grassroots monitoring and protection of election results ahead of 2027.
