Accord presidential candidate Gbenga Olawepo Hashim has called on party members to reconcile their differences and unite ahead of the 2027 general election following a Federal High Court judgement affirming his nomination.
Olawepo Hashim said the party should use the ruling to rebuild internal cohesion and compete not only for the presidency but also for governorship and National Assembly seats across the country.
The judgement was delivered by Justice Mohammed Umar, who ordered Accord and the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognize and upload Olawepo Hashim’s name as the party’s presidential candidate.
The court held that he had been lawfully nominated and found that the party’s refusal to submit his name after the May 30 primary violated the applicable provisions of the Electoral Act.
Accord had denied conducting the primary, but the court rejected that position after considering evidence that Olawepo Hashim paid N50 million for expression of interest and nomination forms accepted by the party. The court also held that a purported cancellation of the primary had not been properly communicated.
Olawepo Hashim had approached the court seeking orders compelling Accord to recognise him and forward his name to INEC. He argued that he emerged as the sole aspirant and winner of a primary monitored by electoral officials.
His legal team maintained that political parties were bound by the Electoral Act, their constitutions and INEC guidelines in the nomination of candidates.
Following the judgement, African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore visited Olawepo Hashim in Abuja to congratulate him on the legal victory. Both men have backgrounds in Nigeria’s democracy movement and political activism.
Olawepo Hashim said the economy and security would be central issues in the 2027 contest. He also criticised the APC’s record and made several claims about economic decline, poverty and insecurity under the ruling party. Those statements form part of his political campaign argument and were not independently established by the court ruling.
He also predicted that the presidential election could require a runoff and forecast a poor showing for the APC. The prediction remains a partisan projection ahead of voting.
With the legal dispute over his nomination resolved at the Federal High Court level, Olawepo Hashim said Accord’s immediate priority should be reconciliation, organization, and preparation for the wider election.
