A controversial, self-described activist, Aisha Yesufu, has come under criticism over her refusal to audit and provide an account of funds she claimed from donors during the 2023 presidential election.
Like several other prominent supporters of Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Aisha Yesufu led a series of public donations at different points of the electoral season, urging Nigerians across the globe to aid the emergence of the third-placed candidate by contributing funds to the quest.
Notwithstanding Obi’s limited chance of success given his relative lack of popularity in other regions of the country except his native southeast, many Nigerians in the diaspora donated heavily to the accounts supplied by Aisha Yesufu and her cohorts.
They were swayed by a dreamy but misleading narrative of a ‘new Nigeria’ wrought by the ex-PDP political operative who in the last election cycle was arguing for the election of Atiku Abubakar as his running mate.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that Aisha Yesufu raked in cash totalling several million from the donations, a chunk of which came from the United States of America and the United Kingdom.
However, despite posturing as the harbinger of a ‘new Nigeria’ that values accountability and transparency, Aisha Yesufu has declined all requests to provide a verifiable account of the sum she raised from the public donations and how it was expended.
She has dodged calls for accountability, which she demands from elected officials, through long rants and sweeping attacks on Nigeria’s two major parties of APC and PDP, despite the well-known fact that both parties produced nearly all the candidates fielded by the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, including Peter Obi.
On Sunday, a Twitter user known for his biting criticism, Kelvin Odanz, took Aisha Yesufu to task over her non-transparency. He described her as ‘Hushpuppi in Hijab’, comparing her to the infamous cybercriminal presently in US prison for conducting scams against unsuspecting members of the public and several multinationals.
I didn't campaign for either Atiku or Tinubu. Not for one second. Don't belong to any party's WhatsApp group or attended any party's meeting.
Unlike you that was begging for donations and went around dancing like a lunatic once credit alert hit your account. Hushpuppy in Hijab https://t.co/Xz7yTVBJJK
— Kelvin Odanz (@MrOdanz) July 9, 2023
Instead of taking the opportunity to clear her name by providing the long-sought audit report, Aisha Yesufu joined in the insults and name-calling. She also accused Odanz of offering support for cash, despite the clarification from the tweep that he did not back any candidate in the election, unlike Aisha Yesufu who went about dancing from state to state in support of Obi.
Aisha Yesufu’s refusal mirrors that of Obi who also held several fund-raising events to ostensibly finance campaign expenses but has yet to provide an account of the sum raised and expenses incurred.