‘The process was flawed’ — DLA female aspirant quits, seeks refund

A female presidential aspirant on the platform of the Democratic Liberation Alliance, DLA, Mrs Adaeze Nwankwo, has resigned from the party and demanded a refund of her nomination fees over what she described as an “unfair and compromised” primary election process.

Mrs Nwankwo announced her resignation in a statement issued after the party’s presidential primary held in Abuja on Friday, accusing the DLA leadership of abandoning transparency and internal democracy.

The former aspirant alleged that the primary election was manipulated in favour of a preferred candidate, insisting that genuine contestants were denied a level playing ground despite investing heavily in campaigns and consultations across the country.

“I joined the DLA believing it represented a new political culture built on fairness, equity and inclusion. Sadly, the events leading to the presidential primary have proven otherwise,” she said.

According to her, several irregularities were observed before and during the exercise, including alleged delegate intimidation, last-minute changes to accreditation procedures and the exclusion of some supporters from the venue.

Nwankwo stated that she could no longer remain in a political party where “the voices of aspirants are ignored while decisions are allegedly taken behind closed doors”.

She further demanded the immediate refund of all monies paid for her expression of interest and nomination forms, arguing that the process failed to meet the standards promised by the party leadership.

“I cannot, in good conscience, continue to associate myself with a process that lacked credibility and fairness from the beginning,” she added.

The DLA presidential aspirant also expressed disappointment that her efforts to push for more women participation in leadership positions within the party were allegedly met with resistance and political intimidation.