Primary: Fresh Turmoil Rocks Accord Party Over Alleged Fabricated Presidential Votes

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Fresh controversy has erupted within the Accord Party following the rejection of figures released from the party’s reported presidential affirmation exercise, with the Nasarawa State chapter distancing itself from the outcome credited to Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim.

The Publicity Secretary of the Accord Party in Nasarawa State, Oshi B. Ebegye, described as misleading and unverifiable the claim that Dr Olawepo-Hashim secured 47,309 affirmative votes from the state during the purported presidential affirmation process.

Ebegye maintained that no affirmation primary was conducted in Nasarawa State and insisted that the figures attributed to the state could not have emerged from any officially recognised exercise of the party.

According to him, “To the best of my knowledge and as a confirmed state officer of the party, no affirmation primary was conducted in Nasarawa State. Therefore, the claim that such a process took place and produced 47,309 votes is completely unfounded.”

The development has intensified concerns within sections of the party over the credibility of the reported exercise and the authenticity of the figures released from some states.

The Nasarawa Accord spokesman further argued that the vote tally being circulated was inconsistent with the party’s structure in the state, noting that the membership strength of the party in Nasarawa was significantly lower than the announced figures.

“It is important to note that the total membership strength of the Accord Party in Nasarawa State is not up to 4,000 members. Consequently, the publication of 47,309 votes from Nasarawa raises serious questions about the authenticity and credibility of the reported figures,” he said.

Beyond Nasarawa, Ebegye alleged that several other states did not participate in any affirmation exercise linked to the emergence of the party’s presidential candidate.

He listed Katsina, Zamfara, Borno, Yobe, the Federal Capital Territory, Bauchi, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo, Oyo and Lagos among states where, according to him, no officially recognised affirmation process was conducted.

“Furthermore, it is categorically stated that Nasarawa State, Katsina, Zamfara, Borno, Yobe, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bauchi, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo, Oyo, Lagos, and many other states across the federation did not participate in any so-called affirmation exercise as claimed in recent publications,” he stated.

He added, “There was no coordinated, verifiable, or officially recognised affirmation process conducted in these states, and the figures being attributed to them are misleading, unverified, and completely detached from any legitimate party structure or activity on the ground.”

The party official also questioned the process through which Dr Olawepo-Hashim was presented as the Accord Party presidential candidate, arguing that constitutional requirements guiding such emergence were allegedly not fulfilled.

“It is also important to clearly state that Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim did not meet the constitutionally required conditions to be declared as the Presidential Candidate of the Accord Party, and any publication or claim suggesting otherwise is false and should be disregarded,” he said.

Ebegye subsequently called on party members, stakeholders and the public to disregard the figures associated with the disputed exercise, insisting that only processes conducted in line with the constitution of the party could be regarded as valid.

“In view of the above, I strongly reject the purported results in their entirety and call on party members, stakeholders, and the general public to disregard the fabricated figures being circulated, as they do not reflect any authentic or constitutionally recognised process of the Accord Party,” he added.

He reiterated that the party must remain committed to due process, transparency and internal democratic principles in all its activities.

“The Accord Party remains committed to internal democracy, transparency, and due process, and only exercises conducted in line with the party’s constitutional provisions can be recognised as valid,” the statement concluded.

The claims are likely to heighten internal debate within the party as stakeholders await further clarification from the national leadership regarding the disputed affirmation exercise and the status of the presidential ticket process ahead of the next electoral cycle.