The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as the Accord Party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
Justice Mohammed Umar gave the order on Monday after rejecting the party’s argument that it did not conduct a valid presidential primary.
The court also directed Accord to recognise Olawepo-Hashim as its candidate and forward his details to INEC for upload on the commission’s nomination portal.
Olawepo-Hashim had taken the party to court after his name was not submitted to INEC, arguing that he emerged as the sole aspirant at Accord’s May 30 presidential primary.
In his ruling, Justice Umar considered evidence that Olawepo-Hashim paid N50 million for the party’s expression of interest and nomination forms, with Accord accepting the payment.
The politician also told the court that he was a registered and financially active member of the party and had contributed N7 million towards its electronic membership registration.
Accord, however, challenged the validity of the process, with its National Chairman, Maxwell Mgbudem, insisting that no authorised presidential primary was conducted.
Mgbudem maintained that Olawepo-Hashim made the relevant payments after the party’s approved deadline and that Accord had instructed its bank to return the funds.
The party further argued that the purported primary was not sanctioned by its national leadership and that Olawepo-Hashim could not automatically become its presidential candidate merely because he was the only aspirant.
The court’s decision has now directed both Accord and INEC to recognise Olawepo-Hashim as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
The ruling effectively settles, at the trial court level, the immediate dispute over whether Olawepo-Hashim emerged as Accord’s presidential candidate from the May 30 exercise.
