Mrs Abisayo Busari-Akinnadeju, a presidential hopeful of the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) for 2027, has quit the party and demanded a refund of her presidential nomination fee.
According to reports, her resignation was over the party’s failure to carry out a free and fair primary election.
She announced her resignation in a letter to the party’s National Chairman.
The former DLA chieftain said the party’s decision to settle for a consensus candidate was worrying and harmful to the party’s growth.
“I am writing to inform you and on your authority the National Working Committee of my resignation as a member of the Democratic Leadership Alliance with immediate effect from the date of this letter.
I do not give in to defeat. “I resign because I am not allowed a fair contest and I will not lend my name to a process that has abandoned its own rules.”
Busari-Akinnadeju urged the party to confirm receipt of her resignation and refund the fee she paid for the presidential nomination form.
She added: “I therefore respectfully request the following: written confirmation of receipt of this resignation; a refund of the presidential nomination fee I paid, the consideration for which, a fair and lawful primary, the party has not provided.
‘I also ask for the return of any personal documents, records or materials of mine that are still in the possession of the party or any of its officers.
She thanked party members across the country who supported her political work, saying they were not to blame for her decision to leave.
“I note my gratitude to members of the party across the country who gave their time and hope to the work we shared. They signed up for the right reasons. “They are not the cause of this decision, and they deserve far better than the conduct of those who now lead them,” she said.
Busari-Akinnadeju said her pledge to the 2027 presidential race and the “Dare Nigeria” agenda was unwavering.
“My commitment to the 2027 presidential race, to the Dare Agenda, and to the millions of Nigerians who have answered the call of #DareNigeria is undimmed and indeed strengthened by what I have seen,” she continued.
I will continue that work on a platform worthy of it.
“Nothing that has happened in recent weeks has shaken my belief. “It has only proved why the change I am running to bring is needed.”
The Ondo-born aspirant said she dedicated her time and resources in the party because she believed it would give a credible platform for leadership in 2027.
But the party’s handling of its internal process had proved otherwise, she said.
“The record is clear and I say it for the record so it does not get lost.
“A party that cannot hold a fair primary among its own aspirants cannot credibly promise a fair country to its citizens,” she said.
Busari-Akinnadeju is from Akungba Akoko in Akoko South-West Local Government Area of Ondo State.
