The national leadership of the Accord Party has disowned reports claiming that businessman and politician Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has emerged as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, insisting that no presidential primary was conducted and no candidate has been nominated for the race.
In a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, Accord Party National Chairman, Maxwell Mgbuden, dismissed claims that Olawepo-Hashim secured the party’s ticket through an affirmation primary held across several states.
The clarification follows an announcement by Olawepo-Hashim’s media team, which claimed he had emerged as the party’s presidential flagbearer after an 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 arranged 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,” he said.
According to the party chairman, Accord had no validly screened presidential aspirant within the timeframe stipulated in its approved timetable and guidelines submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He explained that while aspirants for governorship, National Assembly and state legislative positions completed the nomination process, no presidential aspirant fulfilled the requirements within the approved period.
Mgbuden revealed that Olawepo-Hashim only formally declared his intention to contest the party’s presidential ticket through a letter dated May 26, 2026, after the deadline for submission and screening of aspirants had elapsed.
As a result, he said the party informed INEC of the cancellation of its planned presidential primary.
The chairman further disclosed 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.
According to him, the party subsequently directed its bankers to refund the money because the nomination exercise had already ended.
Mgbuden also rejected suggestions that Olawepo-Hashim should automatically emerge as the party’s candidate because no other aspirant sought the ticket, stressing that compliance with the party’s rules and procedures remains mandatory regardless of the number of contestants.
He added that the party formally notified Olawepo-Hashim in a letter dated May 31 that both his expression of interest and subsequent petition could not be considered because they were submitted outside the approved timeline.
The Accord chairman maintained that the party currently has no presidential candidate for the 2027 election, noting that it only produced candidates for governorship, National Assembly and state legislative positions.