Ex-DLA Presidential aspirant confirms refund of N10.8m nomination fee

A former Presidential Aspirant of the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), Mrs Abisayo Busari-Akinnadeju, has confirmed a refund of N10.8 million of her presidential nomination fee.

Busari-Akinnadeju, in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Akure, said that the party had paid N10.8 million leaving a balance of N1.2 million.

“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.”

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“I resigned from the DLA on May 28, because of the imposition of a consensus candidate by means that did not comply with the Electoral Act 2026 and the use of a disciplinary process to remove me as a cleared aspirant when I could not endorse consensus mode.

“I acknowledge receipt of N10.8 million of the Presidential nomination fee I paid in April 2026, and I note that a further N1.2 million remains outstanding. I am grateful that the party has chosen to do the right thing in this respect.”

“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.

“It is an acknowledgement that the original collection was indefensible. It is not a remedy for what was done in the weeks between the collection and the return,” she said.

She stated that the systemic questions raised by her experience remained open.

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

“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 permit consensus without the written consent of every cleared aspirant.

“My removal, through a disciplinary process convened on three days notice and conducted without particulars, was the route by which that statutory obstacle was cleared.

“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.

Busari-Akinnadeju said rights to a fair contest is not a privilege of the well-resourced but a constitutional entitlement of every Nigerian who participates in the political process.

She added the right must be enforceable by every Nigerian.

“I thank the Nigerians who stood with me through the past week, who read, who watched, who shared, who wrote, and who made it impossible for this story to be treated as private.

“The strength of public attention is what made this refund possible. The same strength will be needed for the larger work,” she said.

Busari-Akinnadeju, who said she had become non-partisan, stated that the launched Dare Agenda Movement , was a platform for Nigerians to demand and pursue purposeful leadership for the country.

“The Office of the Nigerian Citizen is open. The Dare Agenda is in motion. The country cannot wait until 2027, and I will not be waiting until then to do the work I am here to do,” she said.

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