The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday, October 5, 2026, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately upload the name of Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as the validly nominated presidential candidate of the Accord Party (AP) for the January 16, 2027 general election.
​Delivering judgment at the Federal High Court Complex in Central Business District, Abuja, at about 11:30 AM, presiding judge Justice Mohammed Umar ruled in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1268/2026. The court declared that Olawepo-Hashim lawfully emerged as the sole presidential flagbearer during the party’s primary election conducted on May 30, 2026.
​Justice Umar held that the Accord Party acted illegally by failing to submit Olawepo-Hashim’s name to the electoral umpire after collecting \text{N}50\text{ million} for his nomination and expression of interest forms, as well as an additional \text{N}7\text{ million} contribution towards the party’s electronic membership registration program.
​The court dismissed claims by the party’s executive executive leadership regarding a purported cancellation of the primary, noting that the exercise was duly monitored by INEC officials and that any subsequent internal cancellation was uncommunicated, procedural nullity, and of no legal effect.
​Addressing reporters outside the courtroom shortly after the judgment was delivered, lead counsel to the plaintiff, Henry Akunebu (SAN), hailed the decision as a triumph for internal party democracy and the rule of law.
​”The judiciary has once again proven to be the last hope of the common man and the guardian of democratic integrity,” Akunebu said. “The court made it unequivocally clear that political parties cannot arbitrarily discard the outcome of valid primaries after extracting heavy nomination fees from aspirants.”
​In his reaction following the verdict, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim dedicated the judgment to God, his legal team, and party members, while calling for unity across all party factions ahead of the 2027 polls.
​”I give God the glory for this victory, and I dedicate it to all stakeholders, our dear party members, and my hardworking legal team,” Olawepo-Hashim stated. “We are grateful to the judiciary for doing justice on this matter.
We won’t leave anybody behind, we must all come together and work for the party’s victory in the January 16, 2027 presidential election. The march to a new Nigeria has started.”
​Efforts to reach the national publicity secretary of the Accord Party for comments were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report, while INEC officials present at the court confirmed receipt of the judgment for compliance.
