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

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday affirmed Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as Accord Party presidential candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
The judge, Mohammed Umar, ruled in a judgement that contrary to the political party’s claim, there was evidence that Mr Olawepo-Hashim emerged as its sole presidential candidate through a primary election conducted on 30 May.

Mr Umar, therefore, ordered the Accord Party to immediately recognise Mr Olawepo-Hashim as its sole presidential candidate for the 2027 election and forward his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for onward uploading of his name onto its portal as required.

The judge held that it was wrong for the party to have failed to recognise the plaintiff as its presidential candidate and forward his name to INEC after the party collected N50 million from him as cost of nomination and expression of interest forms.

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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Olawepo-Hashim had sued Accord and INEC in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1268/2026 and filed by his lawyer, Henry Akunaebu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

The plaintiff, in the suit, prayed the court to compel his party to forward his name to the electoral umpire as a validly nominated presidential candidate for the forthcoming presidential poll, among others.