Don’t be a gentle man, Aisha Yesufu tells Peter Obi

Aisha Yesufu has urged Peter Obi to abandon his gentlemanly approach after suspected thugs attacked Nigerian Democratic Congress supporters in Lagos.

Nigerian Democratic Congress chieftain Aisha Yesufu has urged Peter Obi to drop his gentlemanly approach to politics, insisting that the party’s supporters would no longer tolerate political intimidation ahead of the 2027 elections.

Yesufu spoke on Thursday at the party’s town hall meeting in Lagos, The Sun reported, after suspected political thugs attacked NDC supporters in Oregun, Ikeja. The attackers reportedly stormed the venue with cutlasses, cudgels and stones, injuring some participants.

“This campaign is not Mr Peter Obi’s campaign. It is our campaign,” she told the gathering.

Turning to Obi, she said supporters could not afford to meet violence with passivity. “I tell you Mr Peter Obi, you see that your gentleman, you go keep am to yourself,” she said.

Recalling supporters’ peaceful approach in 2023, Yesufu declared they would be both “refined and rugged” heading into 2027, adding that nobody had a monopoly of madness.

Obi, who attended with his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, struck a calmer note, condemning the attack and commending supporters for staying calm.