The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to upload the name of Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as the presidential candidate of the Accord Party for the 2027 general election.

Justice Mohammed Umar, in a judgment delivered on Monday, also directed the Accord Party to recognise Olawepo-Hashim as its presidential candidate after ruling that he was lawfully nominated at the party’s presidential primary held on May 30, 2026.

The court held that the party’s failure to submit Olawepo-Hashim’s name to INEC violated Section 86 of the Electoral Act 2026.

Justice Umar also ruled that the purported cancellation of the primary was of no consequence because, according to the judgment, the cancellation was not properly communicated.

Olawepo-Hashim had approached the court seeking an order compelling the Accord Party to recognise him as its presidential candidate and forward his name to INEC. His case followed the party’s refusal to submit his details to the electoral commission after the May 30 primary.

During the proceedings, the Accord Party maintained that it did not conduct a valid presidential primary, arguing that the exercise had been cancelled because no candidate purchased nomination forms or appeared to contest.

The party also argued that INEC did not monitor the exercise because it had been cancelled.

However, Justice Umar rejected the party’s position, citing evidence that Olawepo-Hashim had paid ₦50 million for the expression of interest and nomination forms, which the party accepted.

The judge also found contradictions in documents filed by the defendants.Olawepo-Hashim’s legal team, led by Henry Akunebu, SAN, had challenged the authenticity of documents relied upon by the Accord Party and INEC, including a letter purportedly cancelling the primary.

The plaintiff argued that the document lacked the party’s official stamp and was addressed to the INEC chairman but received by an unnamed national commissioner.

The court’s judgment brings a major legal dispute over the Accord Party’s presidential ticket to a new stage, with INEC now ordered to upload Olawepo-Hashim’s name as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election.