Accord Party’s presidential candidate, Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim
By John Dike, Osogbo
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has added Accord Party’s presidential candidate, Dr Gbenga Olawepo- Hashim to the final list of presidential candidates for the 2027 election.
With his inclusion, the total number of presidential candidates for the election has risen to 19.
INEC chairman, Prof Ola Amupitan confirmed this on Thursday at an event organised by the National Orientation Agency (NOA).
He said the commission will comply with a court judgment mandating it to do so.
Altogether, 103 million voters nationwide have been registered for the election.
specifically, Amupitan said the commission would respect the Federal High Court judgment directing it to include the Accord Party’s presidential candidate n the final list of candidates for the 2027 presidential election..
The development follows a Federal High Court judgment delivered in Abuja on October 5, 2026, directing Accord Party to recognise Hashim as its presidential candidate and submit his name to INEC.
The commission’s position marks a development in the dispute over Accord’s presidential ticket and confirms Hashim’s inclusion in the contest, subject to the official updated list.
Speaking at the NOA event, Amupitan described the 2027 general election as potentially the largest democratic exercise on the African continent and one of the most complex administrative undertakings in the world.
He cited Nigeria’s more than 103 million registered voters and 176,846 polling units across 774 local government areas as indicators of the scale of the exercise.
The figures underscore the logistical demands facing the commission as it prepares to conduct elections across the country.
The 2027 elections will involve multiple levels of voting, including the presidential, National Assembly, governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.
Hashim’s addition takes the presidential candidate count from 18, as reflected in the list published in September, to 19, according to the INEC chairman’s announcement.
The commission is expected to reflect the change in its official candidate records in compliance with the court judgment.
