Accord Party: Olawepo-Hashim reacts to court victory

The presidential candidate of the Accord Party, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has said that the judgement of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, which affirmed his candidature of the party in the forthcoming general election, presented an opportunity for the party to build momentum ahead of the 2027 elections.

Olawepo-Hashim, who spoke to newsmen after the judgment, appealed to stakeholders in Accord Party to close ranks and unite.

He said the party would seek to compete not only in the presidential election but also in National Assembly and governorship contests across the country.

Olawepo-Hashim said that the 2027 election would be different from previous elections and identified the economy and security as key issues that would shape the contest.

He also criticised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), blaming the party for what he described as a deterioration in Nigeria’s economy and security situation.

The presidential candidate claimed that Nigeria’s GDP had fallen from more than $600 billion to about $377 billion under the APC and alleged that poverty and insecurity had worsened.

The Accord candidate further predicted that the 2027 presidential election could go into a runoff and said the APC candidate would finish fourth, adding that Accord Party would commence major campaign activities shortly, including a rally in Abuja.

While noting that the party had spent several years building political structures across the country, Olawepo-Hashim said a major presidential campaign rally would be held in Abuja within two weeks.

The Accord Party presidential candidate has also proposed a petrol pump price of N605 per litre if elected president, explaining that the proposed price would be based on a different approach to domestic crude pricing, refining and logistics costs.

He said the N605 figure could include an energy tax to support the development of alternative energy sources.

The candidate has also said petrol could eventually sell for between N200 and N300 per litre if production costs and the exchange rate are stabilised.

ALSO READ: Cross River: Northern stakeholders back Otu’s second-term bid, seek bloc votes for Tinubu

Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had, in a judgement on Monday, affirmed Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as the presidential candidate of the Accord Party for the 2027 general election, ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to upload his name on its portal.

Justice Umar held that Olawepo-Hashim was lawfully nominated as the party’s presidential candidate and directed Accord Party to recognise him and forward his name to INEC.

The judgment followed a suit filed by Olawepo-Hashim seeking an order compelling the party to recognise him as its presidential candidate and transmit his name to the electoral commission.

The court agreed that the primary election which produced Olawepo-Hashim was lawfully conducted. The court also rejected the party’s position that the primary had been cancelled, noting that the purported cancellation was not effectively communicated.