Aisha Yesufu asks Nigerians to fund Peter Obi's 2027 campaign
- Activist Aisha Yesufu has launched a public fundraising drive for Peter Obi's 2027 presidential bid.
- She says citizens, not Obi alone, should pay for the campaign and promises to account for every naira.
- Obi, now the NDC candidate, pledged in Calabar to fight corruption and rescue kidnapped schoolchildren.
Activist Aisha Yesufu has asked Nigerians to put money into Peter Obi's 2027 presidential campaign, saying the former Labour Party presidential candidate should no longer carry the cost alone.
Yesufu made the call in a video posted on X on Wednesday. She said anyone who wants change in the country should take ownership of the campaign by donating, however small the amount.
"Let the citizens fund this election," she said, adding that every supporter should put in their "widow's mite."
She said the arrangement where Obi provided most of the campaign money can no longer work.
Separate from the party's account
Yesufu said the money raised through her initiative is separate from the party's own fundraising. She asked those who want to donate directly to the party to wait for its official account details.
She recalled that in 2023 Obi was at first reluctant to allow public fundraising, but she argued that people who give become emotionally invested in the campaign. She said the previous exercise was accounted for and published, despite criticism from some quarters.
"In 2023, I was accountable, and I accounted for every dime," she said, promising the same for 2027.
The sources differ on Obi's current party. Punch and PM News describe him as the former Labour Party presidential candidate, while Tribune reports that he is now the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Obi's promises in Calabar
Also on Wednesday, Obi took his campaign to a town hall meeting in Calabar, where he promised to fight corruption and make sure public money is used for public good.
"We want people to stop stealing public money," he said, according to Tribune.
On security, he said Nigeria is not united and that unity would give the country the strength to tackle insecurity. He promised that security agencies under him would go after kidnappers, including those who take schoolchildren.
He also pledged more investment in education and healthcare, and said the town hall was organised so residents could ask questions freely.
What happens next
Yesufu's fundraising is a citizens' effort, not the party's. Nigerians who want to give to the party itself are being asked to wait for its official account.
