Accord Disowns Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim As 2027 Presidential Candidate

The national leadership of the Accord Party has categorically disowned Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, stating that the party neither conducted a presidential primary nor produced any candidate for the race.

National Chairman Maxwell Mgbuden made the clarification in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday. The rebuttal follows reports two days earlier that Olawepo-Hashim had emerged through alleged affirmation primaries marked by large turnouts of party members and supporters across participating states.

Mgbuden insisted the exercise was not recognised by the national leadership and amounted to nothing more than a gathering organised by the aspirant’s supporters. “The purported presidential primary where he emerged as the ‘presidential candidate of Accord’ as widely reported in the national media was not conducted by our great party and has no effect whatsoever. It was a fanfare by his supporters, which should not be misconstrued as the party’s presidential primary. It was not,” he said.

The party maintained it had no valid presidential aspirant within the timeframe stipulated in its approved guidelines, timetable and schedule of activities submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission. Several aspirants purchased nomination forms for governorship, National Assembly and state legislative positions, but no individual completed the process required to contest for the presidency within the approved timeline.

Accord disclosed that Olawepo-Hashim only formally indicated interest through a letter dated May 26, 2026, after the deadline for submission and screening of aspirants had elapsed. “As a result, the electoral umpire was duly notified of the cancellation of the party’s scheduled presidential primary,” the statement added.

Mgbuden further revealed that the party received payments totalling N50 million from Olawepo-Hashim after the nomination process expired. The sum included N10 million for the expression of interest form and N40 million for the nomination form. “It was after the elapse of the party’s timeframe for the purchase of the expression of interest and nomination forms as well as the screening of any aspirant for president that Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim paid for the said forms into the party’s bank account,” the statement said.

The payments were reversed to the originating account because they could not be processed under a concluded exercise. “In keeping with the Accord’s cherished principles of transparency, accountability, and due process, the party instructed its bankers to reverse the payments of N10,000,000 and N40,000,000, expression of interest and nomination forms fees respectively to the originating bank,” it stated.

The leadership rejected arguments that Olawepo-Hashim should automatically emerge because no other aspirant sought the ticket. “The absence of other aspirants would not dispense with these mandatory conditions nor confer automatic entitlement to nomination,” Mgbuden argued.

A letter dated May 31 was sent to Olawepo-Hashim explaining that his expression of interest and petition could not be processed as they fell outside the approved timeframe. “For now, Accord has no presidential candidate for the 2027 general election. The party, however, nominated candidates for governorship and legislative offices,” Mgbuden concluded.