Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has emerged as the preferred presidential candidate of the Accord, following the successful conduct of the party’s affirmation primaries held across several states of the federation, on Saturday.
The exercise, which recorded a massive turnout of party members and supporters, saw Dr. Hashim secure overwhelming affirmative votes, affirming his position as the party’s standard-bearer for the forthcoming presidential election.
Although he was unopposed going into the primaries, the exercise was conducted to allow party faithful to formally endorse his candidature through a democratic affirmation process.
Results received from participating states as of the time of filing this report showed that Hashim garnered a total of 423,902 affirmative votes.
A breakdown of the votes indicated that Jigawa State recorded the highest figure with 198,200 votes, followed by Kano State with 124,101 votes. Nasarawa State delivered 47,309 votes, while Kebbi State returned 46,852 votes.
Other results showed that Kwara State contributed 3,348 votes, while Lagos State recorded 4,548 affirmative votes in support of the candidate.
Party officials described the exercise as peaceful, transparent and reflective of the confidence members have in Olawepo-Hashim’s leadership and vision for the country.
Speaking after the exercise, supporters hailed the outcome as a strong signal of the party’s readiness to mobilise nationwide ahead of the general election, expressing optimism that the Accord Party would offer Nigerians a credible alternative.
They further described Hashim as a bridge builder capable of healing national divisions across North and South, as well as a unifier across religious lines, noting that his emergence represents a potential platform for reconciliation and national cohesion in a politically fragmented country.
AljazirahNigeria recalls that
Hashim recently confirmed his membership of the party, and declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election on the party’s platform, last week.
Speaking with journalists in response to enquiries, Hashim disclosed that his political structure had already commenced extensive grassroots mobilisation within the party across the country.
According to him, over one million supporters have so far been mobilised into the Accord Party as part of efforts to build a formidable political movement ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“We have quietly mobilised about one million of our supporters into the Accord Party, and we are still doing so,” he stated.
Hashim also reacted to comments reportedly credited to a governor, suggesting that the Accord Party would not field a presidential candidate in 2027.
Describing the remark as an overreach, Hashim insisted that no individual possesses the authority to determine who becomes Nigeria’s next president.
“That is an overreach for him. The presidency of Nigeria is too big for anyone to allocate. It is in the hands of God and the Nigerian people”, he said.
The former presidential candidate further argued that political actors often make such pronouncements out of fear and political survival instincts within Nigeria’s highly competitive political environment.
“I know the governor is scared stiff that if he does not go about dancing and declaring support for the incumbent president in a rival party, they would rig him out. But that does not give him the power to allocate the presidency”, Hashim added.
He maintained that political power ultimately belongs to the Nigerian electorate and cautioned against attempts to predetermine the outcome of future elections.
“When power changes hands, those who think they can control it will be shocked and humbled”, he stated.
Hashim reaffirmed his commitment to providing Nigerians with what he described as a credible alternative anchored on competence, national unity, economic revival, and inclusive development as preparations intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
