Nigerian activist and co-convener of the #BringBackOurGirls movement, Aisha Yesufu, has stirred controversy online after expressing her willingness to collaborate with former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and other past political leaders despite their controversial records.
In a fiery series of tweets on Thursday, Yesufu dismissed criticisms of her apparent alliance with El-Rufai, whom she acknowledged as a man with “nuisance value” driven by anger and vindictiveness.
Yesufu argued that El-Rufai’s traits could be harnessed to rebuild the country.
“Nasir El-Rufai @elrufai has a nuisance value: his anger and vindictiveness, and you think I will not use that? Let me laugh in 3D!!!!!!” she tweeted, mocking her critics, while taking a swipe at the former Kaduna governor at the same time.
“You think Nation building is a romantic affair? I am okay with looking bad while you look good.”
The backlash against Yesufu stems from her previous critical stance toward the former governor of Kaduna State.
For instance, in a tweet on October 17, 2022, Yesufu said, “Nasir El-Rufai is evil! He is the typical example of politics without principles.”
Yesufu, renowned for her activism and unwavering criticism of successive governments, defended her recent involvement in the opposition coalition alongside El-Rufai and other political figures blamed for the country woes, insisting that her political principles remain unchanged.
According to her, she remains firmly on the side of the opposition.
“It is inferiority complex that makes some of you think that Aisha Yesufu has joined them. Excuse you! They joined Aisha Yesufu!” she wrote, referencing her history of political dissent dating back to 2014.
According to her, the recent backlash stems from people’s misunderstanding of what coalition-building and nation-saving efforts truly entail.
“I have been on the side of opposition since 2014 when I decided to start focusing on Nigerian issues. They have joined me on the side of opposition! Everyone one of them is what I called them in the past,” she declared.
Nigerian entrepreneur and founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, Atedo Peterside, on Friday morning took to his X account to caution against attacks on activist Aisha Yesufu over her involvement in the newly formed opposition coalition challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“If @AishaYesufu was in opposition and some politicians from APC and PDP decide to join her for exploratory talks about a Coalition of Opposition forces, is she now supposed to abandon Opposition and run in the other direction? If you do not explore, you will not discover,” the investment banker said.
“Methinks exploration by itself can never be a crime. Indeed, it might be an act of courage. Please give the lady a break.”
However, an X user, Chigozirim Aliyu, disagreed with Peterside’s position on the issue, maintaining that Yesufu’s arguments were not justifiable.
He said: “I disagree with you sir. In fact I think you stay away from this conversation. Aisha Yesufu is a shameless hypocrite, a dirty politician portraying herself as an activist.
“Can’t be believe she’s now hanging out with the same group of individuals she addressed as “criminal structure” how is she going to feel campaigning alongside El-rufai, Malami and Atiku? Shame on her!!”
SaharaReporters earlier reported that top opposition leaders adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as their new political platform on Tuesday night.
They also nominated David Mark as the party’s Interim National Chairman and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as Interim National Secretary during the meeting.
Prominent leaders present at the meeting on Tuesday included former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, former All Progressives Congress National Chairman, John Oyegun, former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
Meanwhile, a faction within the ADC had swiftly kicked against the move by an opposition coalition to adopt the party as its political platform.
In a statement issued by Musa Isa Matara, the faction’s national publicity secretary, the group warned that the ADC is not a “private coalition platform” to be hijacked by political elites. The faction expressed outrage over what it described as a unilateral decision made without input from critical stakeholders.
Matara said the decision to merge with the opposition coalition was made without consulting key party structures, including state executives, youth and women leaders, and ward coordinators.
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