Accord Party South-West chairmen reject national leadership’s position, reaffirming Olawepo-Hashim as 2027 presidential candidate
The internal crisis within the Accord Party has deepened as South-West state chairmen have rejected the position of the party’s national leadership over its 2027 presidential ticket.
Also read: Babachir Lawal Claims ADC Primaries Were Rigged
The chairmen reaffirmed Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as the party’s legitimate presidential candidate, directly challenging the national leadership’s recent announcement of another aspirant.
The dispute follows the party’s announcement of Prof. Christopher Imumolen as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections, a move that came days after Olawepo-Hashim was earlier declared consensus candidate.
In a counter-position, the party’s National Chairman, Maxwell Mgbuden, had urged the public to disregard reports naming Olawepo-Hashim as the party’s flag bearer.
However, South-West chairmen from Ekiti, Ogun, Ondo and Lagos states dismissed the national chairman’s position, describing it as misleading and inconsistent with the party’s internal process.
They argued that Olawepo-Hashim emerged through a valid process and insisted that claims questioning his nomination were unfounded.
“The claim that GOH paid his nomination fee outside the nomination window is baseless, as the party did not set any deadline for the payment of nomination fees,” the statement read.
The regional leaders further maintained that nomination payments continued within acceptable timelines, citing party records as evidence of compliance.
They also insisted that Olawepo-Hashim was the only aspirant at the time of the presidential primary and emerged unopposed.
“How then can we deny the faces and identities of Accord members who were captured during the party’s presidential primary election?” the statement asked.
The chairmen, however, acknowledged internal challenges within the party, alleging that some processes, including parts of the governorship and presidential primaries, were compromised by parallel arrangements and leadership disagreements.
They accused some party officials of acting outside established rules, leading to growing tensions within the party structure.
Efforts, according to them, are ongoing within the National Executive Committee to address and resolve the internal disputes.
Also read: Babachir Lawal Claims ADC Primaries Were Rigged
The disagreement highlights ongoing divisions within the Accord Party as it prepares for the 2027 general elections.
