Activist Aisha Yesufu Rejects 2027 Ticket Without Peter Obi As Presidential Candidate

Prominent activist and co-convener of the #BringBackOurGirls Movement, Aisha Yesufu, has vowed to actively work against any party ticket in the 2027 general election where former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, runs as a vice-presidential candidate.

Yesufu made the declaration in a video currently circulating on social media, where she questioned what she described as Nigeria’s persistent culture of asking “the best” candidates to settle for secondary or subordinate positions on the presidential ticket.

Reacting to growing conversations suggesting that Obi, who has since defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), could emerge as a vice-presidential candidate in 2027, Yesufu said such a move would be unacceptable to her.

“So let me go back to the Mr Peter Obi conversation where everyone is sort of like, ‘oh, you know,’ where people are like, ‘you should run as vice president,’” she said. “Me, and I’m giving you people my word now… if Peter Obi is running with anyone as the vice president, as the running mate to that person, I will work against that ticket.”

She stressed that her stance was not based on influence or political power, but on principle.

“I’m not saying that I have any influence. I’m not saying that I’m one big anything,” Yesufu stated. “In my little capacity, I will work against that ticket. Even if I don’t support any other person, I will work against that ticket.”

The activist likened the repeated calls for Obi to run as a vice-presidential candidate to what she described as the systemic marginalisation of women in Nigerian politics.

“Why are we always asking the best to be second?” she asked. “They’ve done Peter Obi the same way they treat women in Nigeria. They will always put you in the deputy position — deputy this, deputy that, running mate.”

Yesufu argued that the pattern reflects a deeper mindset within the political space.

“The only thing I say to them is, even if it’s a goat that is running for president, you people will put that Aisha as vice,” she said. “Because as far as I’m concerned, as I’m a woman, automatically you see me as vice and nothing else. That cannot, we cannot have that situation.”

She further noted that Obi’s political appeal lies in his message of empathy and concern for ordinary Nigerians, insisting that such qualities should not be relegated to a secondary role.

“Peter Obi right now, he talks about empathy, he talks about somebody who cares,” Yesufu added.