The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Accord Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Mohammed Garba Umar directed the Accord Party to submit Olawepo-Hashim’s name to INEC in line with Section 86 of the Electoral Act 2026, and ordered the electoral body to accept and upload it to its nomination portal. The court held that Section 86 was “violently violated” by the party’s refusal to forward the plaintiff’s name after he emerged victorious in the May 30 primary election as the sole aspirant.
Although the Accord Party denied conducting any primary, Justice Umar dismissed the claim, citing evidence that Olawepo-Hashim paid ₦50 million for expression of interest and nomination forms, which the party accepted. The judge also rejected a purported letter cancelling the party’s presidential primary, noting it lacked the party’s official stamp and was addressed to the INEC Chairman but received by an unnamed national commissioner.
Olawepo-Hashim’s counsel, Henry Akunebu (SAN), had urged the court to compel the party to upload his name to INEC’s nomination portal. Reacting to the judgment, Olawepo-Hashim called for reconciliation among party stakeholders, saying: “We won’t leave anybody behind. We should all come together and work for the party’s victory in the January 16, 2027 presidential election”.