Former DLA Presidential Aspirant Confirms ₦10.8m Refund, Demands Balance

A former presidential aspirant of the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), Mrs Abisayo Busari-Akinnadeju, has confirmed receipt of ₦10.8 million out of the ₦12 million she paid as presidential nomination fee for the 2027 general election, while insisting that a balance of ₦1.2 million remains outstanding.

Busari-Akinnadeju made the disclosure in a statement made available on Friday in Akure, Ondo State.

She said the party refunded the bulk of the nomination fee following her resignation from the DLA on May 28, citing alleged irregularities in the party’s presidential primary process and what she described as an imposed consensus arrangement.

“I want to say that the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) has refunded the presidential nomination fee I paid in April 2026, in respect of my aspiration for the Office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the 2027 general election,” she said.

“I acknowledge receipt of ₦10.8 million of the presidential nomination fee I paid in April 2026, and I note that a further ₦1.2 million remains outstanding. I am grateful that the party has chosen to do the right thing in this respect.”

She, however, insisted that the refund did not resolve her concerns about the internal democratic process of the party, arguing that it could not restore what she described as a compromised primary system.

“It is important, however, that the meaning of this refund is not misunderstood. The return of the money does not return the integrity of the process,” she said.

Busari-Akinnadeju alleged that her exclusion from the primary process followed deliberate steps aimed at frustrating her participation, including what she described as disciplinary measures and procedural manipulation.

“There was an intentional attempt to stop me from being screened, a disciplinary action to complete the process after screening,” she said.

She further alleged that state chairmen of the party were instructed not to attend the presidential primary at the national secretariat, claiming this was part of a broader consensus arrangement.

“The state chairmen of the party were directed not to attend the presidential primary at the headquarter, but to transmit figures to the national secretariat so that a candidate could be produced by a purported consensus,” she alleged.

According to her, the Electoral Act 2026 does not support such consensus arrangements without the written consent of all cleared aspirants.

She maintained that her removal through a disciplinary process convened on short notice was used to clear what she described as statutory obstacles to the party’s chosen process.

Busari-Akinnadeju also said her concerns now extend beyond her personal experience to broader issues of electoral fairness within political parties.

“Those facts are not undone by a bank transfer. My concern is no longer about my own money. It is about the next aspirant, in this party or any other, whose money may not come back so quickly because she does not have the standing or the platform to demand it,” she said.

She stressed that fair participation in political contests must be guaranteed for all aspirants, regardless of status or influence.

Busari-Akinnadeju also thanked Nigerians who supported her through public attention to the matter, saying media visibility contributed to the refund.

She added that she has now become non-partisan and is focused on a civic initiative known as the Dare Agenda Movement, insisting that her political engagement continues outside party structures.