Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Accord Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to immediately uphold Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as the Accord Party’s Presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
Justice Umar ordered the party to submit the candidate’s name to the electoral umpire in line with the provisions of section 86 of the Electoral Act 2026 and should be accepted by INEC.
Delivering Judgement in a suit against Accord Party and INEC, the judge held that section 86 of the Electoral Act was violently violated with the refusal to submit the plaintiff’s name to INEC after emerging victorious in the May 30 primary election as sole aspirant.
Although the Accord Party denied ever conducting any primary election, Justice Umar disagreed with the claim because of the evidence that Olawepo-Hashim paid N50M for expression of interest and nomination forms and accepted them from him.
The judge held that most of the claims of the Accord Party in respect of the disputed primary election were contradictory in the face of the law.
Olawepo-Hashim, through his counsel, Henry Akunebu (SAN), had urged the court to direct Accord Party to immediately upload his name to INEC’s nomination portal as its presidential candidate and compel the electoral body to recognise and accept the nomination.
The senior lawyer challenged the authenticity of documents tendered by the party and INEC, particularly a letter allegedly cancelling the party’s presidential primary.
He had argued that the document lacked the party’s official stamp and was addressed to the INEC Chairman but was received by an unnamed national commissioner.
Akunebu argued that political parties are bound by the Electoral Act, their constitutions and INEC guidelines in the nomination of candidates, adding that a party that conducts a valid primary has a statutory duty to submit the winner’s name to INEC.
He urged the court to discountenance the exhibits, describing them as documents fabricated during the proceedings.
In the originating summons, Olawepo-Hashim asked the court to determine whether the party’s refusal to upload his name to INEC’s nomination portal, despite his alleged emergence as the sole winner of the May 30 presidential primary, violated the Electoral Act 2026, the Constitution and INEC’s Guidelines for Political Parties.
He sought a declaration that the party’s failure to submit his name breached Section 86 of the Electoral Act 2026 and Clauses 28(1) and 28(2) of the INEC guidelines on candidate nomination.
The plaintiff further prayed the court to order Accord Party to submit his name to INEC or, in the alternative, direct the party to conduct a fresh presidential primary in which he would participate.
In an affidavit filed in support of the suit, Olawepo-Hashim said he is a registered and financial member of the party, claiming he funded its electronic membership registration with N7m and paid N50m as nomination fee for the presidential primary.
He maintained that he emerged as the sole aspirant and winner of a primary allegedly monitored by INEC officials but accused the party of failing to forward his name to the electoral commission.