Court orders INEC to recognise Olawepo-Hashim as Accord’s 2027 presidential candidate

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim should be recognized as the presidential candidate for the Accord Party in the 2027 election. Justice Mohammed Umar made this decision on Monday, stating that the party had breached Section 86 of the Electoral Act 2026 by not submitting Olawepo-Hashim's name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after he won the May 30 presidential primary unopposed.

The court ordered the party to acknowledge Olawepo-Hashim as their candidate and submit his name to INEC for inclusion on their nomination portal. Olawepo-Hashim had argued that he won the primary and the party was legally obligated to provide his details to INEC. The court rejected the party's claim that no presidential primary was held, noting that Olawepo-Hashim had paid N50 million for the expression of interest and nomination forms, which they accepted.

The judge also pointed out that Olawepo-Hashim was a registered and financially active member of the party, having contributed N7 million to their electronic membership registration and N50 million for the presidential nomination process. The party's national chairman, Maxwell Mgbudem, had previously denied Olawepo-Hashim's candidacy, citing that no primary was conducted due to incomplete aspirant participation within the set timeline.

He also claimed that Olawepo-Hashim's payments were made after the deadline, and the party instructed their bank to return the money. However, the court's ruling now mandates the party and INEC to recognize Olawepo-Hashim as the Accord Party's presidential candidate for the 2027 election.