Former presidential aspirant of the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), Abisayo Busari-Akinnadeju, has announced her resignation from the opposition party, citing what she described as the leadership’s attempt to impose a consensus candidate ahead of the 2027 general election.
In a resignation letter addressed to the party’s National Chairman and made public on Friday in Akure, the Ondo State-born legal practitioner accused the DLA leadership of abandoning the principles of internal democracy and denying members the opportunity to freely choose their preferred candidate.
Busari-Akinnadeju said she could no longer remain in a party that, in her view, had failed to uphold the democratic values it professes to champion.
“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. I will not put my name to a process I know to be wrong,” she stated.
According to her, the resignation letter was formally submitted on May 28, 2026, but she deliberately chose to announce her departure on Nigeria’s Inauguration Day to underscore the significance of democratic participation and political accountability.
The former aspirant revealed that she purchased the party’s presidential nomination form in April and was subsequently screened and cleared by the party’s screening committee. However, she alleged that her status later became the subject of a disciplinary process that lacked transparency and due process.
Busari-Akinnadeju claimed the disciplinary action stemmed from a private WhatsApp message and was conducted without adequate notice or disclosure of the allegations against her.
“I was neither given adequate notice nor provided with the particulars of the allegations against me,” she alleged, adding that the panel was chaired by the party’s National Legal Adviser.
She further accused the party leadership of directing state chairpersons not to attend the presidential primary election but instead transmit figures to the National Secretariat to facilitate the emergence of a consensus candidate.
The former presidential hopeful argued that such a move would violate provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, which require the written consent of all cleared aspirants before a consensus candidate can be adopted.
Her resignation adds a new dimension to the internal challenges facing the DLA as political parties begin preparations for the 2027 general election.
