By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA – An Accord chieftain in Lagos State, Jagunmolu Moses, has described the court victory of Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as a major setback for the faction of the party aligned with Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, amid questions over its decision to leave the presidential ticket vacant for the 2027 elections.
Moses said the ruling had complicated what was widely interpreted in political circles as the faction’s strategy to support President Bola Tinubu by not fielding a presidential candidate.
In a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, Moses questioned the political calculations behind the decision following Monday’s ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja, directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Olawepo-Hashim as Accord’s presidential candidate.
“The recent judgment directing INEC to recognise and upload Hashim Olawepo as the presidential candidate of Accord has raised serious political and legal questions about the events surrounding our 2027 presidential ticket,” Moses said.
Justice Mohammed Umar ordered Accord to submit Olawepo-Hashim’s name to INEC, holding that Section 86 of the Electoral Act 2026 had been violated by the refusal to submit his name after he emerged as the sole aspirant in the party’s May 30 primary.
Moses said Olawepo-Hashim, a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member and associate of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, had joined Accord through the Maxwell-Adeleke faction to pursue the party’s presidential ticket.
He questioned whether the decision to leave the ticket vacant was linked to expectations of political reciprocity, particularly in connection with the Osun governorship election.
“If the Adeleke-aligned faction genuinely decided to support President Tinubu by fielding no presidential candidate, then the emergence of Hashim Olawepo through the courts represents a major political and legal complication,” Moses said.
He said the faction could appeal if it disagreed with the judgment but would face questions about its earlier decision if it chose not to challenge the ruling.
“If it chooses not to appeal, then Nigerians will understandably ask questions about the political calculations behind its earlier decision,” Moses said.
Moses also questioned the faction’s handling of the litigation, while noting that Accord’s broader leadership crisis remained unresolved, with competing claims involving the Mgbudem and Prof. Chris Imumolen factions still before the courts.
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