Courts Will Decide my Fate, Presidential Candidate Rejects INEC Exclusion
Presidential Candidate Kicks against exclusion from INEC final list
Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has rejected his exclusion from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s final list of presidential candidates for the 2027 general election, insisting that no administrative action by the commission can extinguish a candidacy that is already the subject of litigation.
Mr Olawepo-Hashim, the Accord Party’s presidential flag bearer, said this in a statement issued in Abuja at the weekend, after INEC published a final list of 18 presidential candidates and their running mates that did not include his name.
“I am the candidate of the Accord Party. No one can exclude me from the 2027 presidential election. The court will do justice,” he said.
INEC clears 18 parties — without Accord
The list, signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, was released in Abuja on Saturday and contains candidates sponsored by 18 political parties.
Of the 18 presidential candidates, 16 are male and two female, while the commission listed 14 male and four female vice-presidential candidates.
| Party | Presidential candidate | Running mate |
|---|---|---|
| APC | Bola Tinubu | Kashim Shettima |
| ADC | Atiku Abubakar | Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi |
| NDC | Peter Obi | Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso |
| PDP | Sandy Ojang Onor | Umaru Babangida |
| APM | Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde | Musa Lawal Daura |
| LP | Sunday Chibuzo Okereke | Hajja Bintu Konto |
| SDP | Adewole Ebenezer Adebayo | Usman Muhammed Bugaje |
| PRP | Donald Duke | Kabiru Rabiu |
| AAC | Omoyele Sowore | Haruna Garba Magashi |
| Accord | Not listed | — |
INEC’s timetable places the presidential and National Assembly elections on 16 January 2027, with governorship and state assembly polls set for 6 February 2027. The published list does not state reasons for the inclusion or exclusion of any party.
‘INEC has no right of finality’
Contesting his omission, Mr Olawepo-Hashim argued that Nigeria’s constitutional democracy does not confer on INEC an overriding power of finality over disputes about who emerges as a party’s candidate.
“Our democracy does not give INEC any right of finality over who stands as the candidate of a political party. Where there is a dispute over the emergence or exclusion of a candidate, the adjudicatory functions of the courts are provided precisely to prevent impunity and to ensure that no administrative process becomes a pre-planned mechanism for keeping particular candidates off the ballot,” he said.
He cited the last Osun governorship election, where, he said, courts intervened after candidates initially excluded from INEC’s processes were subsequently restored to the ballot.
“That is why nobody should assume that an administrative publication by INEC is the final word in a matter that is before the courts,” he added.
Mr Olawepo-Hashim has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order compelling the Accord Party to recognise him as its presidential candidate and transmit his name to INEC.
Ejes Gist News understands the matter has been heard and judgment reserved.
His case rests on his claim that he emerged as the winner of Accord’s presidential primary held on 30 May 2026, after paying the prescribed nomination fee, in an exercise monitored by INEC officials.
“I emerged from the presidential primary as the candidate. I have done what the law requires, and I believe the court will uphold the law,” he said.
He also alleged — without naming individuals — that unnamed political interests were uncomfortable with his candidacy because he could appeal to voters across the North and South on the basis of ideas and competence rather than ethnicity or religion.
The allegation has not been substantiated publicly, and no party or institution has been identified as its target.
Accord: ‘We don’t know why he was not captured’
The party has also questioned the omission. Dele Oladeji, Lagos State chairman and secretary of Accord’s South-West zone, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday that the party learnt through media reports that it had no presidential candidate on the INEC list.
“Three dependable members of the party aspired for the presidential ticket… At some point, Dr Gbenga Olawepo became our candidate because we adopted him as our consensus candidate. But whatever it is, he was not captured by INEC. We don’t know why; it is not known to the party,” Mr Oladeji said.
He said Accord was looking to the courts for a favourable judgment and ruled out any alliance with other parties. He also dismissed suggestions of factionalism within Accord, alleging the party had “only an impostor, in the person of Prof. Imumolen,” without providing further details — a claim that could not be independently verified and to which no response from Prof. Imumolen was immediately available.
What the dispute turns on
Beyond his own ambition, Mr Olawepo-Hashim framed the suit as a test of internal party democracy.
“The real issue is whether a political party can conduct a presidential primary, produce a winner, and subsequently prevent that winner from participating in the election,” he said.
He urged supporters to remain calm and to let the law take its course. “I am not asking anyone to break the law. I am asking that the law be allowed to work. The court will speak, and when it does, we will abide by the judgment,” he said.
The outcome now rests with the Federal High Court, whose ruling could either restore Accord to the presidential field or leave the 18-party list unchanged.
Any decision is also open to appeal, leaving the composition of the final ballot a live question less than four months before polling day.