Former presidential candidate Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has confirmed his membership of the Accord Party and declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election on the party’s platform.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Hashim said his political structure had begun grassroots mobilization within the party nationwide. He stated that more than one million supporters had so far been registered into the Accord Party as part of efforts to build a broad-based movement ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“We have quietly mobilized about one million of our supporters into the Accord Party, and we are still doing so,” he said.
Hashim was responding to comments reportedly made by a governor who suggested that the Accord Party would not field a presidential candidate in 2027. He described the remark as an overreach.
“The presidency of Nigeria is too big for anyone to allocate. It is in the hands of God and the Nigerian people,” Hashim said.
He argued that such pronouncements often stem from fear and political survival instincts in Nigeria’s competitive political environment.
“I know the governor is scared that if he does not publicly declare support for the incumbent president in a rival party, he may be targeted. But that does not give him the power to allocate the presidency,” he added.
Hashim maintained that political power ultimately resides with the electorate and cautioned against attempts to predetermine election outcomes.
“When power changes hands, those who think they can control it will be shocked and humbled,” he said.
He reaffirmed his commitment to offering Nigerians what he described as a credible alternative focused on competence, national unity, economic revival, and inclusive development.
