Fresh controversy has emerged within the Accord Party after its leadership publicly distanced itself from reports naming former PDP chieftain Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
The party said reports claiming Olawepo-Hashim emerged victorious in a nationwide presidential primary were false, insisting that no presidential primary election was conducted in the first place.
The development comes days after widespread reports suggested that Olawepo-Hashim, who recently declared his intention to contest for Nigeria’s highest office under the Accord platform, had secured over 423,000 votes as the sole contestant in the party’s presidential primary.
However, in a strongly worded statement released on Wednesday, Accord National Chairman Maxwell Mgbudem dismissed the claims and clarified that the party never organised any presidential primary election.
According to him, the party’s planned presidential primary was cancelled because no aspirant completed the required nomination process before the deadline.
Mgbudem explained that the party’s guidelines required all interested aspirants to purchase nomination and expression of interest forms, complete the screening process and meet all deadlines before becoming eligible to participate.
He revealed that Olawepo-Hashim only formally expressed interest in contesting after the deadline for the nomination process had already expired.
The party leadership further stated that being the only interested aspirant did not automatically qualify anyone to become Accord’s presidential candidate without fulfilling the established requirements.
Accord also disclosed that Olawepo-Hashim later paid N50 million for the expression of interest and nomination forms after the official deadline had passed.
According to the party, the payment could not be accepted because the nomination process had already closed, prompting instructions for the funds to be returned to the originating bank.
Mgbudem maintained that the event being portrayed as a presidential primary was merely a gathering organised by supporters of Olawepo-Hashim and should not be mistaken for an official Accord Party exercise.
He also revealed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had been formally notified that no presidential primary was conducted by the party.
The latest development has raised fresh questions about the status of Olawepo-Hashim’s presidential ambition and the internal processes leading up to the 2027 general election.
As political activities continue to intensify ahead of the next election cycle, the dispute highlights the growing competition and internal challenges facing several political parties across the country.
