Socio-political activist, Aisha Yesufu has declared that elections cannot be won through social media propaganda or orchestrated smear campaigns.

Yesufu made the remark in a post on her X handle on Wednesday while addressing members of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, and her supporters ahead of the party’s primaries in the FCT.

According to her, political victory can only be achieved through direct engagement with the electorate based on empathy, compassion and respect.

“Election is not won by social media propaganda nor by an orchestrated smear campaign. Election is won by engaging the electorate one wishes to serve respectfully and with empathy and compassion,” she wrote.

The activist urged registered members of the NDC in the FCT to remain focused on promoting the party and electing candidates capable of representing their interests.

She stated that the era of making political choices out of fear was over, adding that voters must now make decisions based on courage and belief in the principle that “power belongs to the people.”

Yesufu also charged her supporters to continue mobilisation efforts across the 62 wards in the FCT, insisting that her camp was prepared for the primaries.

“To my teeming supporters across the FCT, do not be deterred, continue your ground work across the 62 wards. We are ready to meet them on the primaries ground,” she added.

Repeating her stance, Yesufu asked: “Who is afraid of primaries?”

A rights group has called on the opposition against the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate in Rivers State, Kingsley Chinda, to back their claims with clear evidence showing he remained active in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, after April 2, 2026.

The group said Chinda had already resigned as Minority Leader of the House of Representatives before participating in the APC governorship process and had not taken part in any PDP-related activities since then.

The call by the Centre for Constitutional Governance and Electoral Integrity, CCGEI, in Rivers State, follows a case filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja,is seeking an order barring the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising Chinda’s participation in the APC governorship primary.

In a statement, Ibrahim Danjuma, CCGEI Executive Director, dismissed the case as unfounded and politically motivated.

Danjuma further challenged the petitioners to produce verifiable proof that Chinda attended PDP meetings, acted in a PDP capacity, or continued as Minority Leader after April 2, 2026.

He said, “The process has been concluded. Hon. Kingsley Chinda is the duly emerged governorship candidate of the APC in Rivers state,” the statement reads.

“Those raising allegations of defection irregularities should present one single proof anywhere in Nigeria showing that after April 2, 2026, Hon. Chinda attended any PDP function, represented the PDP in any capacity, or acted as minority leader in the House of Representatives.”

According to him, the court action is intended to misrepresent a concluded political process, and he urged the court to strike out the suit for lacking merit.

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Ibrahim Wala, has alleged that the party’s presidential primary election was marred by intimidation, vote buying and other irregularities.

DAILY POST reports that Wala, a loyalist to one of the top ADC presidential aspirants, Rotimi Amaechi, monitored the exercise in Gombe State.

Amaechi had on Tuesday, rejected the results of the polls, saying that the process lacked transparency and fairness as earlier promised by the opposition party.

Backing Amaechi’s claim, Wala, in a post on his official Facebook page, Wednesday described the process as “brazen, shameless auction that betrayed every value the ADC promised to uphold.”

Comrade Wala alleged that voters were intimidated and disenfranchised, stressing that the outcome of the election was determined in a hotel room.

The ADC chieftain called on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is currently leading, to immediately dissociate himself from what he described as “dirty, concocted primary election results.”

He claimed to have “undisputed evidence of irregularities and voter disenfranchisement” that unfolded under his watch in Gombe State.

“I was personally approached by an agent offering to take me to the committee leadership’s hotel room to secure whatever I needed.

“This hotel room was treated exactly like a clandestine situation room where the state party leadership retired after their field day to finish their manipulative work behind closed doors”, he alleged.