By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
The Federal High Court in Abuja reserved judgement in a suit filed by Accord Party chieftain, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, seeking an order compelling the party to recognise him as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election and submit his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Justice Mohammed Umar fixed judgement for a date to be communicated to the parties after counsel adopted their final written addresses during proceedings on Wednesday, July 15.
Olawepo-Hashim, through his counsel, Henry Akunebu, urged the court to direct the Accord Party to immediately upload his name to INEC’s nomination portal as its presidential candidate and compel the electoral body to recognise and accept the nomination.
Akunebu challenged the authenticity of documents tendered by the party and INEC, particularly a letter allegedly cancelling the party’s presidential primary.
He argued that the document lacked the party’s official stamp and was addressed to the INEC Chairman but was received by an unnamed national commissioner.
Akunebu urged the court to discountenance the exhibits, describing them as documents fabricated during the proceedings.
He also faulted the party’s computer-generated membership register for lacking a certificate of compliance and maintained that the presidential primary was never cancelled.
Counsel for Accord Party, T.W. Olusesi, however, urged the court to dismiss the suit, insisting that the presidential primary had been validly cancelled after no aspirant purchased nomination forms or presented themselves for the exercise.
Olusesi argued that INEC did not monitor the presidential primary because it had already been cancelled.
Aligning with the Accord Party’s position, counsel for INEC, D.J. Gusen, urged the court to dismiss the suit.
Gusen told the court that the commission did not monitor the exercise because it received a letter notifying it of the cancellation through one of its national commissioners.
In the originating summons, Olawepo-Hashim asked the court to determine whether the party’s refusal to upload his name to INEC’s nomination portal, despite his alleged emergence as the sole winner of the May 30 presidential primary, violated the Electoral Act 2026, the Constitution and INEC’s Guidelines for Political Parties.
He sought a declaration that the party’s failure to submit his name breached Section 86 of the Electoral Act 2026 and Clauses 28(1) and 28(2) of the INEC guidelines on candidate nomination.
The plaintiff further prayed the court to order the Accord Party to submit his name to INEC or, in the alternative, direct the party to conduct a fresh presidential primary in which he would participate.
In an affidavit filed in support of the suit, Olawepo-Hashim said he is a registered and financial member of the party, claiming he funded its electronic membership registration with N7 million and paid N50 million as nomination fee for the presidential primary.
He maintained that he emerged as the sole aspirant and winner of a primary allegedly monitored by INEC officials, but accused the party of failing to forward his name to the electoral commission.
In his argument, Akunebu noted that political parties are bound by the Electoral Act, their constitutions, and INEC guidelines in the nomination of candidates, adding that a party that conducts a valid primary has a statutory duty to submit the winner’s name to INEC.
He urged the court to uphold the principles of internal party democracy by granting all the reliefs sought by his client.
