Court Affirms Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as Accord Party Candidate

On October 5, 2026, a Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim is the legitimate presidential candidate of the Accord Party for the upcoming January 16, 2027 presidential election. Justice Mohammed Garba Umar ordered the party to forward Olawepo-Hashim's name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), citing a breach of Section 86 of the Electoral Act 2026 for failing to submit his name after he won the party's presidential primary on May 30, 2026.

The court dismissed the party's claim that no primary occurred, noting evidence including Olawepo-Hashim's payment of N50 million for nomination forms. His counsel, Henry Akunebu, argued against the validity of documents used by the party and INEC, including a letter claiming the primary's cancellation, which lacked proper authentication.

The court upheld the primary's validity and ordered INEC to recognize Olawepo-Hashim as the candidate, with the ruling subject to appeal by the party or other affected parties.