An activist and supporter of Peter Obi, Aisha Yesufu, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has called on Nigerians to contribute towards financing his 2027 presidential campaign.
In a video shared on X on Wednesday, Yesufu said the former Anambra State governor could not shoulder the financial responsibility of the campaign alone.
“There is no way we can say that we want to rescue a nation, we want to get back our nation, we want the people to own this nation, and then we say that we are going to leave everything to Mr Peter Obi to fund,” she said.
She urged supporters to make financial contributions, stressing the importance of citizens taking responsibility for funding the election.
“So please, every one of us, we need you to put in something. Let the citizens fund this election.
“Let us be the ones that say our one naira; we go here, and it will be used for this or that.”
Reflecting on the 2023 general election, Yesufu said Obi had initially opposed the idea of soliciting donations publicly.
“Mr Peter Obi never wanted us to use public fundraising. But I remember saying to him, people need to be involved. And when people give, they are emotionally invested,” she said.
She added that the previous fundraising exercise attracted criticism, but the organisers published the account details and provided an explanation of how the donations were spent.
“And we did that fundraising. And at the end, there were a lot of people who said so many things. We put out the account. Everything we could was accounted for.”
Yesufu maintained that the previous arrangement, which largely depended on Obi’s personal funding of campaign activities, was no longer feasible, urging supporters to contribute what they could.
“It can no longer work. Every one of us has to put in our own widow’s mite,” she said.
She also clarified that the fundraising initiative was separate from the NDC’s official fundraising activities, noting that the party would release its own account details.
“This is what we, as citizens, are going to use to fund the things that we can do for Mr Peter Obi. The party are going to put out their own accounts,” she said.
“Those who want to donate to the party, please wait for their account. This particular account that is here is for Peter Obi’s campaign donated by citizens.”
The activist further promised to maintain transparency in managing the contributions and provide an account of how the money was spent.
“In 2023, I was accountable, and I accounted for every dime. And in 2027, by the grace of God, I will also be accountable. And I will account for every dime,” she said.