The court ordered INEC to recognize Olawepo-Hashim as the Accord’s presidential candidate

A federal high court in Abuja has declared Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as the genuine presidential candidate of the Accord Party for the upcoming 2027 elections.

Therefore, the court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize him on the ballot.

In a ruling delivered on Monday, Mohammed Umar, the presiding judge, said section 86 of the Elections Act, which prescribes direct primaries as a means of conducting party primaries, was violated by the party’s refusal to submit Olawepo-Hashim’s name to the election umpire.

The judge rejected Accord’s claim that no primaries were held, citing evidence that Olawepo-Hashim paid N50 million for expressions of interest and nomination forms, which were received by the party.

Olawepo-Hashim has appealed to the court over Accord’s failure to submit his name through the INEC nomination portal, arguing that he emerged unopposed in the May 30 presidential primaries.

He asked the court to determine whether the party’s actions violated the 2026 Election Law, the constitution and INEC’s guidelines for political parties.

Olawepo-Hashim told the court that he was a registered and financially active member of the party, adding that he donated N7 million for the electronic membership registration and paid N50 million for the presidential nomination form.

In May, Olawepo-Hashim had announced his intention to run for president on the Accord platform.

Days later, he was reportedly declared the winner of the party’s national presidential primary. Olawepo-Hashim is said to have polled a total of 423,902 votes as a single contestant.

However, Maxwell Mgbudem, national chairman of Accord, rejected the claims, saying that the party did not hold presidential primaries, and stated that reports depicting Olawepo-Hashim as the standard bearer for the 2027 elections were false.

He said the party’s presidential primary was canceled because no candidate purchased expression of interest and nomination forms for the presidency before the deadline.

Mgbudem said INEC had been informed that the party was not conducting presidential primaries to nominate candidates for the upcoming general election.

He said Olawepo-Hashim wrote a letter to the party on May 26, expressing his interest in running for president after the agreed deadline for the nomination process had expired, adding that the application was not processed.

Mgbudem said the absence of other candidates could not give Olawepo-Hashim an “automatic right”.

The party chairman said Olawepo-Hashim then paid N10 million and N40 million into Accord bank accounts for expression of interest and nomination forms respectively, after the period for purchasing the forms and screening candidates had passed.

Mgbudem said the party instructed its banks to return payments to the original financial institutions.