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Wilson Macaulay
A former presidential aspirant of the Democratic Leadership Alliance, Abisayo Busari-Akinnadeju, has resigned from the party, alleging that its leadership attempted to impose a consensus candidate ahead of the 2027 general election.
Busari-Akinnadeju, a legal practitioner and Chartered Arbitrator, announced her resignation in a statement issued on Friday, saying she could no longer remain in a party that allegedly denied members the right to freely determine their candidate.
She disclosed that she formally tendered her resignation letter on May 28, 2026, adding that the decision was publicly announced on Inauguration Day because of the significance of the occasion to Nigeria’s democratic process and the principle that leaders derive authority from the freely expressed will of the people.
The former aspirant explained that she paid the presidential nomination fee in April 2026 and was duly screened and cleared by the party’s screening committee before her clearance later became subject to a disciplinary process linked to a private WhatsApp message.
According to her, the disciplinary process was conducted without adequate notice and without particulars of the allegation being made available to her, while the panel handling the matter was chaired by the party’s National Legal Adviser.
Busari-Akinnadeju further alleged that state chairmen of the party were directed not to attend the presidential primary election but instead transmit figures to the National Secretariat to enable the emergence of a consensus candidate.
She maintained that the move violated the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, noting that Section 87(1) of the Act requires the written consent of all cleared aspirants before a consensus candidate can emerge, while Section 84(1) mandates direct primaries where such consent cannot be obtained.
“On Inauguration Day, when Nigeria honours the right of her people to choose those who govern them, I cannot remain inside a party that has refused that same right to its own members. I joined to compete on the merits. I leave because the merits were never going to be the test,” she said.
The former presidential aspirant stated that she refused to support any consensus arrangement and alleged that her removal as a cleared aspirant paved the way for the process to proceed. She added that she would now return to non-partisan civic engagement through the Dare Agenda and the #DareNigeria movement.
“The work of building a country that is fair to all of its citizens does not belong to any single party. It belongs to all of us, and it continues. What 2027 will require of me, I will decide with the Nigerians who have walked this road with me, and at the time it is right to decide,” she added.
