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The Abuja High Court has ordered the Accord Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission to immediately uphold Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
Justice Mohammed Garba Umar ordered the party to submit the candidate’s name to the electoral umpire in line with Section 86 of the Electoral Act 2026 and directed INEC to accept it.
Delivering judgement in a suit against the Accord Party and INEC, the judge held that Section 86 of the Electoral Act was violently violated by the refusal to submit the plaintiff’s name to INEC after he emerged victorious in the May 30 primary election as sole aspirant.
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The Accord Party had denied conducting any primary election, but the judge rejected that position, pointing to evidence that it accepted N50 million from Olawepo-Hashim for expression of interest and nomination forms.
Justice Umar found that the party’s claims about the disputed primary were contradictory when weighed against the law.
Daily Nigerian.
Olawepo-Hashim’s counsel, Henry Akunebu (SAN), had asked the court to compel the party to upload his client’s name to INEC’s nomination portal.
Akunebu also challenged a letter said to have cancelled the party’s presidential primary, noting that it lacked the party’s official stamp and was addressed to the INEC Chairman but received by an unnamed national commissioner.
He described the documents as fabricated during the proceedings.
In his originating summons, Olawepo-Hashim sought a determination on whether the party’s refusal to upload his name violated the Electoral Act 2026, the Constitution and INEC’s guidelines on political parties.
He also sought a declaration that the failure breached Section 86 of the Electoral Act and Clauses 28(1) and 28(2) of the INEC guidelines on candidate nomination.
In a supporting affidavit, he said he is a registered and financial member of the party, funded its electronic membership registration with N7 million and paid N50 million as nomination fee.
He maintained that he won the primary as the only aspirant in an exercise monitored by INEC officials, but that the party failed to forward his name to the commission.
