Prominent activist and member of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Aisha Yesufu, has criticised the party’s national leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, accusing him of appearing insecure and acting as though he was in competition with the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Yesufu made the remarks in a post on her X handle on Thursday while reacting to comments made by Dickson during an interview on ARISE NEWS, where he defended the party’s leadership and responded to criticisms from some Obi supporters following the NDC primary elections.
Reacting to the interview, Yesufu said she found portions of Dickson’s comments disappointing, arguing that his first major media appearance after the primaries should have focused on uniting party members, promoting the party’s candidates and strengthening confidence ahead of the 2027 general election.
“This part of the interview was so painfully appalling to watch. It looked as if you were insecure and in competition with your presidential candidate,” she wrote.
“Your first one-on-one interview after the primaries, and instead of selling your candidates and giving confidence to people on how set the road to winning the 2027 election was, you made it about yourself.”
Yesufu also rejected Dickson’s suggestion that some party members may have failed to abide by internal party rules because of their popularity or influence.
While indicating that she would respond more comprehensively to the allegation at a later time, she maintained that she had complied with the party’s processes throughout the primaries and had worked to calm aggrieved supporters, particularly in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“While I took my time to properly address your allusion to me not playing by the rules, which I consider very disingenuous seeing how I followed the process, and even when you had insisted there would be no primaries for the Senate, I let things go and asked my teeming supporters to focus on the bigger picture,” she stated.
According to Yesufu, she subsequently toured parts of the FCT to pacify party members and supporters who felt disappointed and disrespected after waiting for primary elections that did not eventually take place.
The activist further argued that Dickson appeared to view the NDC as a “special purpose vehicle” whose objective had already been achieved with its registration rather than as a political party focused on securing electoral victory in 2027.
“With all due respect, sir, it looks as if you consider the NDC a special purpose vehicle whose aim has been achieved just by being registered instead of a political party whose aim is to win the 2027 general election decisively,” she wrote.
She maintained that Dickson’s priority during the interview should have been to reconcile aggrieved aspirants and encourage supporters to remain committed to the party’s broader objectives.
“As a leader of a political party, your number one job in that interview was to pacify aspirants, many of whom are rightfully aggrieved, and secondly to call on supporters to bear with the party and support it, but you ended up antagonising the very people you would need to win an election. Every vote counts. A leader must stoop to conquer,” she added.
Yesufu stressed that no one was challenging Dickson’s position as leader of the party, insisting that the focus should remain on winning the 2027 elections and addressing Nigeria’s numerous challenges.
“There is a whole battle ahead of us. Rescuing Nigeria from the current state it is in should be the main focus, not people’s fragile ego,” she stated.
Dickson had earlier defended the NDC and its leadership against criticisms from some supporters of Peter Obi, describing attacks on the party and its leaders as counterproductive to the presidential candidate’s political ambition.
The former Bayelsa State governor also maintained that the party remained united despite disagreements arising from its recent primary elections and dismissed suggestions that the NDC was facing an internal crisis.
The exchange highlights growing tensions within sections of the party following the conclusion of its primaries, even as party leaders continue efforts to project unity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
