By John Dike, Osogbo
Accord National Chairman, Barrister Maxwell Mgbudem, has declared that there is no faction whatsoever within the Accord Party, insisting that he remains the only authentic National Chairman recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Mgbudem made the declaration on Tuesday while addressing a World Press Conference at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja, where he dismissed claims by the party’s expelled 2023 presidential candidate, Professor Christopher Imumolen, as false, misleading and legally baseless.
According to the Accord chairman, the party remains peaceful, stable, united and one of the fastest-growing political parties in Nigeria, adding that attempts by “political jobbers and nomads” to create confusion would not distract the party from its electoral goals.
“Accord has no faction at any level. We are focused, united and firmly committed to democratic values and internal party discipline. We will not dissipate energy responding to frivolities from individuals seeking cheap publicity and stomach infrastructure,” Mgbudem said.
He explained that Imumolen was long expelled from the party for gross misconduct and anti-party activities, a decision that was ratified by the National Executive Committee (NEC) and never appealed by the former presidential candidate.
Mgbudem traced the legitimacy of the current leadership to the Accord National Convention held on July 28, 2024, at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja, which he said was duly monitored by INEC and conducted in line with the party constitution, Electoral Act and INEC guidelines.
He noted that Imumolen neither participated in the convention nor subjected himself to screening for any position, but later sought to impose himself as national chairman through what he described as fraudulently obtained interim court orders, which were subsequently vacated.
“The court later ruled that internal party leadership disputes are non-justiciable, and Imumolen’s suit was struck out for want of jurisdiction. With that ruling, the ambition to hijack Accord collapsed completely,” he stated.
The Accord chairman further revealed that a seven-man Disciplinary Committee investigated allegations against Imumolen and others, found them culpable of constitutional breaches, and recommended their expulsion—a recommendation unanimously endorsed by NEC in November 2024.
Mgbudem also dismissed Imumolen’s recent media claims that he nominated a governorship candidate for Osun State, describing them as “hallucinations” and an insult to democratic processes.
He reaffirmed that Governor Ademola Adeleke emerged as Accord’s governorship candidate in Osun State through a valid primary election monitored by INEC, stressing that the party has enjoyed massive growth nationwide since Adeleke’s entry into Accord.
“It is this unprecedented growth and national acceptance that some individuals are desperately trying to hijack. But Accord is too focused and disciplined for such distractions,” he added.
Mgbudem assured Nigerians that Accord is concentrating on winning upcoming elections in Osun, Ekiti, the FCT Area Councils, and preparing strategically for the 2027 general elections.
He urged the media to verify information concerning the party and pledged the leadership’s readiness to provide clarifications when necessar
