Court affirms Gbenga Hashim as Accord Party’s presidential candidate – Daily Trust

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has affirmed Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as the presidential candidate of the Accord Party for the 2027 presidential election.

The court’s declaration, on Monday, brings a major legal dispute over the party’s presidential ticket to a decisive conclusion.

Justice Mohammed Umar, in his judgment, dismissed the preliminary objections filed against Hashim’s suit and rejected the purported letter relied upon to communicate the cancellation of the party’s presidential primary to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The court also ordered the Accord Party to upload Hashim’s name to INEC as its presidential candidate, effectively recognising his emergence from the party’s presidential primary held on May 30, 2026.

Hashim had approached the court seeking recognition as the duly nominated presidential candidate of the Accord Party, maintaining that he was the sole aspirant and winner of the May 30, 2026 primary.

His case was argued by Henry Akunebu, who urged the court to compel the party to recognise Hashim and forward his name to INEC.

Accord’s position was represented by T.W. Olusesi, who maintained that the presidential primary had been cancelled and that no valid primary produced Hashim as the party’s candidate.

Counsel for INEC, D.J. Gusen, similarly argued that the commission did not monitor the purported primary because it had received notification that the exercise had been cancelled.

Justice Umar, however, dismissed the preliminary objections and rejected the purported cancellation letter, paving the way for the court to recognise the outcome of the May 30 primary.

The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has paid a congratulatory visit to Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim following the Federal High Court judgment affirming him as the presidential candidate of the Accord Party for the 2027 election.

The judgment follows months of legal contest over the Accord Party presidential ticket and the party’s failure to submit Hashim’s name to INEC despite his claim that he had emerged as the winner of the primary.

Hashim had argued that the party’s refusal to upload his name violated the Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026, and relevant INEC regulations and guidelines governing the nomination of political party candidates.

In his reaction to the ruling, Hashim dedicated the victory to God and called for reconciliation among stakeholders and party members.

The visit comes after the court dismissed the preliminary objections in the case and ordered the relevant electoral authorities to recognise Hashim as Accord’s duly nominated presidential candidate.

Sowore, a prominent pro-democracy activist and presidential candidate, congratulated Hashim on the legal victory and the resolution of the dispute surrounding his emergence as Accord’s standard bearer.