The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has fixed July 14, 2026, for hearing in a suit filed by Accord Party chieftain, Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, seeking to compel the party to recognise him as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
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Justice Mohammed Umar fixed the date after hearing parties in the suit, in which Olawepo-Hashim is asking the court to order Accord Party to forward his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as its presidential candidate.
The suit, commenced by Originating Summons, has Accord Party and INEC as the first and second defendants.
Olawepo-Hashim is asking the court to determine whether Accord Party’s alleged failure to upload his name to INEC’s nomination portal, despite what he described as his emergence as the sole 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.
He is seeking a declaration that the party’s refusal to forward his name to INEC amounts to a breach of Section 86 of the Electoral Act 2026 and Clauses 28(1) and 28(2) of INEC’s guidelines on candidate nomination.
He also wants the court to direct Accord Party to upload and submit his name to INEC as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
In the alternative, Olawepo-Hashim is asking the court to order Accord Party to conduct a fresh presidential primary in which he would be allowed to participate, should the court decline to order the submission of his name.
In an affidavit filed in support of the suit, Olawepo-Hashim described himself as a registered and financial member of Accord Party.
He claimed that he sponsored the party’s electronic membership drive with a payment of ₦7 million.
He further stated that he paid the prescribed ₦50 million nomination fee to contest the party’s presidential primary and emerged as the sole aspirant and winner of the exercise.
According to him, the primary election was conducted on May 30, 2026, and monitored by officials of INEC in line with the Electoral Act.
Olawepo-Hashim alleged that despite his victory, Accord Party failed to submit his name to the electoral body as its presidential candidate.
He also alleged that the party failed to issue aspirants with guidelines for the conduct of the primary as required by INEC regulations, but said he proceeded with the process based on assurances allegedly given by the party’s national leadership.
In the written address filed in support of the suit, his counsel, Henry Akunebu, SAN, argued that political parties are legally bound to comply with the Electoral Act, their constitutions and INEC’s guidelines in nominating candidates.
Akunebu submitted that once a political party conducts a valid primary election and produces a winner, it has a statutory duty to submit the name of the winner to INEC.
He urged the court to uphold internal party democracy by granting all the reliefs sought by the plaintiff.
At the resumed proceedings, counsel to INEC, H.S. Danjuma, asked the court for an extension of time to file the commission’s memorandum of appearance, counter-affidavit and written address.
Danjuma told the court that his chambers were only briefed by INEC on July 6 and needed a short adjournment to respond to the suit.
Counsel to Accord Party, Egasi Olusesi, did not oppose the application for adjournment.
However, Olawepo-Hashim’s counsel opposed the request and urged the court to foreclose INEC from further participation in the suit.
Akunebu argued that INEC had failed to respond within the period prescribed by the Practice Directions for pre-election matters, citing Rule 6(4) and (5).
In a short ruling, Justice Umar held that the matter was listed for report of service and hearing and adjourned the case until July 14 for hearing of the substantive suit.
The dispute comes after the national leadership of Accord Party had earlier disowned Olawepo-Hashim’s reported emergence as its presidential candidate, insisting that the party did not conduct any presidential primary and had no presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
The party had also said Olawepo-Hashim’s nomination payments were made after the approved timeline and that it had instructed its bankers to reverse the payments.
Olawepo-Hashim, however, maintains that he validly participated in the nomination process and emerged as the party’s sole presidential candidate.
The suit is expected to test issues of internal party democracy, compliance with the Electoral Act 2026 and the obligation of political parties to submit names of candidates who emerge from primary elections.
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