2027: We won’t leave anybody behind — Olawepo-Hashim reacts to court victory

ABUJA – Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has called for reconciliation within the Accord Party, saying no stakeholder or party member would be left behind following Monday’s Federal High Court judgment affirming him as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

Hashim said the court victory should open a new chapter for the party, urging stakeholders to put their differences aside and work together ahead of the January 16, 2027 presidential election and other elections.

“I give God the Glory for this victory, I dedicate the victory also to all stakeholders and our dear party members and my hardworking legal team. We are grateful to the Judiciary that has done justice on this matter,” Hashim said.

“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 and all other elections. The march to a New Nigeria has started” he said.

The Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, had affirmed Hashim as Accord’s presidential candidate and ordered the party to upload his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Justice Mohammed Umar dismissed the preliminary objections filed against Hashim’s suit and rejected the purported letter relied upon to communicate the cancellation of the party’s May 30, 2026 presidential primary to INEC.

The judgment followed months of dispute over the party’s presidential ticket, after Hashim maintained that he was the sole aspirant and winner of the May 30 primary but that the party refused to submit his name to INEC.

Hashim had challenged the refusal, arguing that it violated the Constitution, Electoral Act 2026 and relevant INEC regulations and guidelines governing the nomination of political party candidates.

In his originating summons, he asked the court to determine whether Accord could validly refuse to upload his name to INEC’s nomination portal after a primary in which he emerged as winner.

He had also sought, in the alternative, an order directing the party to conduct a fresh presidential primary in which he would be allowed to participate.

Hashim maintained that he was a registered and financially compliant member of Accord, having paid the prescribed N50 million presidential nomination fee and contributed N7 million towards the party’s electronic membership registration programme.

He also maintained that INEC officials monitored the May 30 primary at which he emerged as the sole aspirant.

The party, however, maintained that the primary had been cancelled, while INEC said it did not monitor the exercise because it had received notification that it had been cancelled.