The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has affirmed Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as the presidential candidate of the Accord Party for the 2027 general election, bringing to a decisive stage the prolonged dispute over the party’s presidential ticket.
Justice Mohammed Umar, in a judgment delivered on Monday, October 5, 2026, held that Olawepo-Hashim lawfully emerged as the party’s presidential candidate following the primary election conducted on May 30, 2026.
The court consequently ordered the Accord Party to recognise Olawepo-Hashim as its presidential candidate and forward his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), directing the electoral commission to upload his name on its nomination portal.
The judgment followed a suit instituted by Olawepo-Hashim against Accord and INEC over the party’s refusal to submit his name to the electoral commission after he claimed to have emerged as the sole aspirant and winner of its presidential primary.
Olawepo-Hashim had asked the court to determine whether the party’s failure to transmit his name to INEC violated the Electoral Act 2026, the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and INEC’s regulations and guidelines governing the nomination of political candidates.
He had also sought an order compelling Accord to recognise him and immediately forward his name to INEC as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Alternatively, he asked the court to order the party to conduct a fresh presidential primary in which he would be allowed to participate.
In his case, Olawepo-Hashim maintained that he was a registered and financially active member of Accord and had paid ₦50 million for the expression of interest and nomination forms required to contest the presidential ticket.
He argued that after paying the required fees, he emerged as the sole aspirant and winner of the presidential primary held on May 30, 2026.
However, Accord subsequently refused to recognise him as its candidate and did not submit his name to INEC.
The dispute escalated after the party publicly disowned Olawepo-Hashim as its presidential candidate.
In a statement issued on June 3, 2026, Accord’s National Chairman, Maxwell Mgbudem, said the party did not conduct a presidential primary and described the exercise in which Olawepo-Hashim emerged as candidate as an event organised by his supporters.
The party said its scheduled presidential primary had been cancelled because no aspirant had purchased the required expression-of-interest and nomination forms within the stipulated timeframe.
Accord further claimed that Olawepo-Hashim’s expression of interest was received on May 26, after the May 25 deadline for screening presidential aspirants. The party said it subsequently instructed its bankers to reverse the ₦10 million and ₦40 million payments made by him for the expression-of-interest and nomination forms.
The party maintained that the absence of other presidential aspirants did not automatically make Olawepo-Hashim the party’s candidate because, according to its position, participation in the nomination process required compliance with its approved timetable, guidelines, screening requirements and other procedures.
Olawepo-Hashim rejected the party’s position and proceeded with his legal challenge, insisting that the primary which produced him as the sole candidate was valid.
The case had previously gone through several adjournments before the court reserved judgment.
During the proceedings, Olawepo-Hashim’s counsel, Henry Akunebu (SAN), challenged the authenticity and validity of documents relied upon by Accord and INEC, particularly the letter said to have communicated the cancellation of the presidential primary.
INEC, through its counsel, maintained that it did not monitor the purported May 30 primary because the commission had received notification from Accord that the exercise had been cancelled.
The court had on July 15 reserved judgment after lawyers representing the parties adopted their final written addresses.
In the judgment delivered on Monday, however, Justice Umar rejected the position relied upon by Accord and held that the evidence before the court established Olawepo-Hashim’s emergence as the party’s presidential candidate.
The court also rejected the purported cancellation of the primary as relied upon by the party and ordered the necessary steps to be taken to recognise Olawepo-Hashim and place his name before INEC.
The ruling now places Olawepo-Hashim at the centre of Accord’s presidential ticket for the 2027 election, subject to the implementation of the court’s orders by the party and INEC.