Accord Party presidential aspirant, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking legal redress to reclaim what he describes as his lawfully earned presidential ticket.
In an Originating Summons filed before the court, Hashim is asking for an order compelling the Accord Party to recognise him as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election and to transmit his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He named the Accord Party and INEC as the first and second defendants, respectively.
The plaintiff is requesting the court to determine whether the party’s failure to upload his name to INEC’s nomination portal—despite his emergence as the sole aspirant and winner of the party’s presidential primary held on May 30, 2026—violates the Electoral Act, 2026, the Constitution, and INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties.
Hashim is also seeking a declaration that the party’s refusal to forward his name to INEC constitutes a breach of Section 86 of the Electoral Act, 2026, as well as Clauses 28(1) and 28(2) of the electoral guidelines governing candidate nominations.
He further prayed the court to order the Accord Party to submit his name to INEC as its presidential candidate. In the alternative, he asked the court to direct the party to conduct a fresh presidential primary in which he would be allowed to participate, should the request for direct submission be declined.
In an affidavit supporting the suit, Hashim stated that he is a registered and financial member of the Accord Party and claimed to have sponsored the party’s electronic membership drive with a payment of ₦7 million.
He also averred that he paid ₦50 million as the prescribed nomination fee and emerged as the sole aspirant and winner of the primary election, which he said was monitored by INEC officials in line with the Electoral Act.
According to him, despite fulfilling all requirements and securing victory, the party failed to submit his name to the electoral body as its presidential candidate.
Hashim further alleged that the party did not provide clear guidelines for the conduct of the primary election, contrary to INEC regulations, but said he proceeded based on assurances from the party’s national leadership.
In a written address, his counsel, Chief Henry Akunebu (SAN), argued that political parties are legally bound to comply with the Electoral Act, their constitutions, and INEC guidelines in the nomination of candidates.
He maintained that once a valid primary election produces a winner, the party has a statutory obligation to submit the candidate’s name to INEC and cannot arbitrarily deny the aspirant the benefits of the democratic process.
During proceedings on Thursday at Court 5 of the Federal High Court, counsel for INEC sought an adjournment to enable the commission respond to the suit. Counsel for the Accord Party supported the application.
However, counsel to the plaintiff opposed the request and urged the court to proceed with the hearing.
After listening to all parties, the presiding judge granted the adjournment and fixed Tuesday, July 14, 2026, for the hearing of the substantive suit.
The case is expected to test the application of the Electoral Act, 2026, and further reinforce judicial scrutiny of internal party democracy ahead of the 2027 general election.