The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday, reserved judgment in a suit filed by a chieftain of Accord Party, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, seeking an order compelling the party to recognize him as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election and forward his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The trial judge, Justice Mohammed Umar reserved judgment to a date that would be communicated to parties when it is ready, after counsel in the matter adopted their written submissions for and against the suit.
Adopting his arguments, the plaintiff’s counsel, Henry Akunebu, SAN, urged the court to direct Accord Party to immediately forward Olawepo-Hashim’s name to INEC as its presidential candidate and to direct the electoral body to accept and recognize him accordingly.
He challenged the credibility of documents exhibited by the party and INEC, particularly a letter purportedly cancelling the party’s primaries, arguing that, it lacked the party’s official stamp and imprimatur and was addressed to INEC chairman but received only by an unnamed national commissioner.
He urged the court to attach no probative value to the exhibits, describing them as fabricated in the course of proceedings, and dismissed the party’s computer-generated membership register as lacking a certificate of compliance, adding that, no primary election of the party was cancelled.
Accord Party, however, insisted that its primaries were validly cancelled after no candidate showed up or purchased nomination forms. Counsel to the party, T.W. Olusesi, said INEC did not monitor the primaries because they had been cancelled, and urged the court to dismiss the suit.
INEC’s counsel, D.J. Gusen, similarly told the court that, the commission did not monitor the exercise since it had been cancelled, noting that a letter to that effect was received by a national commissioner, and also urged dismissal of the suit.
In his originating summons, Olawepo-Hashim, who named Accord Party and INEC as first and second defendants, is asking the court to determine whether the party’s failure to upload his name to INEC’s nomination portal despite his emergence as sole winner of the May 30 primary violates the Electoral Act 2026, the Constitution, and INEC’s guidelines for political parties.
He seeks a declaration that the party’s refusal to forward his name breaches Section 86 of the Electoral Act 2026 and Clauses 28(1) and (2) of the electoral guidelines on candidate nomination, and wants the court to order the party to submit his name to INEC.
In the alternative, he is asking that the party be directed to conduct a fresh presidential primary in which he would participate.
In an affidavit supporting the suit, Olawepo-Hashim described himself as a registered and financial member of Accord Party, stating he sponsored the party’s electronic membership drive with a N7 million payment and paid a N50 million nomination fee to contest the presidential primary.
He said he emerged as sole aspirant and winner of an exercise monitored by INEC officials in line with the Electoral Act, but that the party failed to submit his name to INEC despite his victory and had not issued aspirants with guidelines for the primary as required by INEC regulations, though he proceeded on assurances he said were given by the party’s national leadership.
In a written address, Akunebu argued that political parties are legally bound to comply with the Electoral Act, their constitutions, and INEC’s guidelines in nominating candidates, and that a party conducting a valid primary is statutorily obligated to submit the winner’s name to INEC.
He urged the court to uphold internal party democracy by granting all reliefs sought in the suit.
END
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