ABUJA — The national leadership of the Accord Party has distanced itself from the purported emergence of Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, declaring that no presidential primary was conducted and no candidate has been nominated for the race.
National Chairman of the party, Maxwell Mgbuden, made the clarification in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, dismissing reports that Olawepo-Hashim emerged through an affirmation primary conducted across several states.
The party’s reaction comes barely two days after Olawepo-Hashim’s media team announced that he had secured the party’s presidential ticket following what it described as a well-attended affirmation exercise involving party members and supporters.
However, Mgbuden said the event was neither organised nor recognised by the party’s national leadership, describing it as a gathering convened by the aspirant’s supporters.
“The purported presidential primary in which he emerged as Accord’s presidential candidate was not conducted by our party and has no legal or political effect whatsoever,” Mgbuden stated.
“It was merely a fanfare organised by his supporters and should not be mistaken for the party’s official presidential primary.”
According to the party chairman, Accord did not have any validly screened presidential aspirant within the period stipulated in its approved timetable and guidelines submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
He explained that while several aspirants successfully purchased nomination forms for governorship, National Assembly and state legislative positions, no aspirant completed the required process to contest the presidential ticket within the approved timeframe.
Mgbuden disclosed that Olawepo-Hashim only formally communicated his intention to seek the party’s presidential nomination through a letter dated May 26, 2026, after the deadline for submission and screening of aspirants had expired.
Consequently, he said, the party notified INEC of the cancellation of its planned presidential primary.
The Accord chairman further revealed that Olawepo-Hashim paid a total of N50 million into the party’s account after the nomination process had closed, comprising N10 million for an expression of interest form and N40 million for a nomination form.
“It was after the expiration of the party’s approved timeline for the purchase of forms and screening of aspirants that Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim made the payments,” Mgbuden said.
He added that the party directed its bankers to refund the money because the nomination process had already been concluded.
“In line with our commitment to transparency, accountability and due process, the party instructed its bankers to reverse the N10 million expression of interest fee and the N40 million nomination fee to the originating account,” he stated.
The party also rejected claims that Olawepo-Hashim was entitled to automatic nomination because no other aspirant sought the presidential ticket.
Mgbuden stressed that compliance with established nomination procedures remained mandatory regardless of the number of aspirants.
“The absence of other contestants does not invalidate the party’s rules or confer automatic entitlement to nomination,” he said.
He disclosed that the party had formally communicated its position to Olawepo-Hashim in a letter dated May 31, informing him that both his expression of interest and subsequent petition could not be considered because they were submitted outside the approved timeline.
Mgbuden maintained that Accord currently has no presidential candidate for the 2027 election, adding that the party only nominated candidates for governorship and legislative positions.
“For now, Accord has no presidential candidate for the 2027 general election,” he said. “The party, however, successfully produced candidates for governorship, National Assembly and state legislative elections.”
