…Pass vote of no confidence on Tinubu
By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA — Stakeholders of the Accord Party under the aegis of the Accord Alliance Movement have reaffirmed their support for Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
The group also urged the party leadership to upload his details to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal before the July 11 deadline.
The position was made known on Wednesday in Abuja during a news conference attended by party stakeholders from across the country.
Speaking on behalf of the group, the Director-General of the Accord Alliance Movement, Hon. Light Adoko, said the gathering was convened to reaffirm support for Olawepo-Hashim’s aspiration.
Adoko alleged that although the party leadership had earlier directed state chairmen not to conduct presidential primaries, some state chairmen proceeded with the exercise.
He claimed that Olawepo-Hashim emerged through a process that complied with party procedures and rejected suggestions that he failed to meet the party’s electoral guidelines.
The group further criticised the leadership of the party over its handling of the presidential nomination process.
On national security, the stakeholders passed a vote of no confidence in President Bola Tinubu, accusing his administration of failing to guarantee the security and welfare of Nigerians as provided under Chapter Two of the Constitution.
Adoko said the group believed Olawepo-Hashim possessed the capacity to address the country’s security challenges.
The stakeholders also distanced the Accord Party from the recent public endorsement of President Tinubu’s re-election by Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, describing it as the governor’s personal position.
They maintained that Olawepo-Hashim remains the party’s sole presidential aspirant and urged members to support his ambition ahead of the 2027 elections.
The development comes weeks after the Accord Party publicly disowned Olawepo-Hashim as its presidential candidate.
In a statement issued last month, the party’s National Chairman, Barrister Maxwell Mgbuden, said the party did not produce a presidential candidate because no aspirant met the requirements for the purchase and submission of expression of interest and nomination forms within the stipulated period.
He stated that the party neither screened any presidential aspirant nor conducted a presidential primary, adding that the scheduled primary election was cancelled and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was duly notified.
Mgbuden also disclosed that the party directed its bank to refund Olawepo-Hashim’s payments for the expression of interest and nomination forms, maintaining that the payment was made after the deadline.
He further dismissed the primary election that produced Olawepo-Hashim as the party’s presidential candidate, describing it as an exercise not conducted by the national leadership and, therefore, without official recognition.
