A former presidential aspirant of the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), Abisayo Busari-Akinnadeju, has resigned from the party over alleged plans by its leadership to impose a consensus candidate ahead of the 2027 general election.

Busari-Akinnadeju, an Ondo-born 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 choose their candidate.

She disclosed that she formally submitted her resignation letter on May 28, 2026, but decided to publicly announce her exit on Inauguration Day because of the significance of the occasion to Nigeria’s democratic process.

According to her, the day symbolises the principle that political leaders derive authority from the freely expressed will of the people.

The former presidential aspirant explained that she paid the party’s presidential nomination fee in April 2026 and was screened and cleared by the DLA screening committee before her clearance later became subject to a disciplinary process allegedly linked to a private WhatsApp message.

She claimed the disciplinary process was conducted without proper notice and without the allegations against her being fully disclosed, adding that 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 facilitate the emergence of a consensus candidate.

She argued that the move violated 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,” she said.

“I joined to compete on the merits. I leave because the merits were never going to be the test.”

The former aspirant maintained that she rejected every attempt to pressure her into supporting a consensus arrangement and alleged that her removal as a cleared aspirant paved the way for the process to proceed.

Despite leaving the party, Busari-Akinnadeju said she would continue to pursue national development through non-partisan civic engagement under 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,” she added.