My N50m Is Still With Accord Party’ — Olawepo-Hashim Rejects Refund Claim, Insists He Remains 2027 Presidential Candidate

Former presidential aspirant and businessman, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has dismissed claims by the Accord Party that it refunded his N50 million nomination fee, insisting that the funds remain in the party’s bank account.

Speaking in an interview with Trust TV on Tuesday, Olawepo-Hashim described reports of a refund as false and maintained that he remains the duly nominated presidential candidate of the party for the 2027 general election.

“That is not true. They have never refunded my money. My money is still in their account. If it had been refunded, I would have seen it in my bank account. So that claim is false,” he said.

The former Peoples Democratic Party chieftain explained that he joined the Accord Party at the invitation of its national leadership, which he said assured him that the presidential primary process would be conducted in line with the party’s constitution and established guidelines.

“When the National Chairman of the Accord Party came to meet me, he personally invited me to join the party. Don’t forget that I was in the PDP at the time. He even led a delegation to my office,” Olawepo-Hashim stated.

According to him, the party had officially notified the Independent National Electoral Commission of its presidential primary timetable and issued adequate notice for the exercise.

“They subsequently submitted to INEC a schedule for the presidential primary, which was fixed for Thursday, and adequate notice was given. Under the guidelines, you cannot cancel such a notice unless you issue another notice at least seven days before the event,” he said.

Olawepo-Hashim insisted that he validly emerged as the party’s presidential candidate and remained firmly in the race.

“Yes, I am still in the race. I have emerged as the candidate, and nobody can take that away,” he declared.

He further argued that the crisis rocking the Accord Party mirrors a broader pattern of disputes affecting political parties across the country ahead of the 2027 elections.

“It is important to understand that what is happening in the Accord Party is not an isolated case. Virtually all the political parties are experiencing issues involving multiple candidates,” he said.

The businessman also criticised the framework adopted for the conduct of party primaries, claiming it contributed significantly to the emergence of disputes and litigation within political parties.

“The framework for the primaries created the conditions for this confusion. I was one of those who spoke against that framework,” he said.

According to Olawepo-Hashim, while the Electoral Act stipulates that party primaries should be concluded 120 days before an election, the timetable implemented by political parties compressed the process and limited opportunities for proper planning and competition.

“That framework did not allow adequate time for planning or for competitive internal party primaries. I challenged it, and some political parties also went to court over the matter,” he added.

He maintained that many of the leadership tussles and candidate disputes currently unfolding across political parties could be traced to flaws in the implementation of the electoral timetable.

“The result is the confusion and disputes we are seeing today. In my view, this is organised chaos,” Olawepo-Hashim said.

The development comes amid an ongoing face-off between Olawepo-Hashim and the Accord Party leadership over the party’s 2027 presidential ticket.

Last week, the party publicly distanced itself from claims that Olawepo-Hashim had emerged as its presidential candidate, insisting that it neither conducted a presidential primary nor produced a candidate for the election.

In a statement issued in Abuja, the party’s National Chairman, Maxwell Mgbuden, disclosed that Olawepo-Hashim paid a total of N50 million for the expression of interest and nomination forms after the expiration of the stipulated deadline.

According to Mgbuden, the payment comprised N10 million for the expression of interest form and N40 million for the nomination form.

“It was after the elapse of the party’s timeframe for the purchase of the expression of interest and nomination forms as well as the screening of any aspirant for president that Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim paid for the said forms into the party’s bank account,” the statement read.

The party further stated that it had instructed its bankers to reverse the payments to the originating account, arguing that the nomination process had already been concluded.

“In keeping with the Accord’s cherished principles of transparency, accountability, and due process, the party instructed its bankers to reverse the payments of N10,000,000 and N40,000,000, expression of interest and nomination forms fees respectively to the originating bank,” it added.

Accord also rejected suggestions that Olawepo-Hashim should automatically become its presidential candidate on the basis that no other aspirant contested for the ticket.

The disagreement has added another layer of uncertainty to the internal dynamics of political parties as preparations intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.