Dispute Over Governor Adeleke’s Role in Accord Party Timeline

The Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement (GHSM) has fired back at the Osun State chairman of the Accord Party, Victor Akande, accusing him of making false and misleading statements about Governor Ademola Adeleke’s political moves. In a statement by its South-West Coordinator, Abass Olaniyi, the group said Akande’s radio remarks on the governor’s endorsement of President Bola Tinubu and Accord’s presidential candidate, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, were based on fabricated documents and a distortion of events.

GHSM provided a timeline: Governor Adeleke endorsed Tinubu while still a PDP governor in July 2025; the national leadership of Accord under Maxwell Mgbudem then lobbied Olawepo-Hashim to join the party in March 2026. The candidate subsequently emerged through direct primaries. In April 2026, Accord’s national body publicly disowned Adeleke’s endorsement, reaffirming its own presidential direction. The movement insists the claim that there was no presidential candidate when Adeleke endorsed Tinubu does not match these facts.

Olaniyi warned that the governor’s conduct mirrors the internal contradictions that weakened the PDP and could jeopardize his re-election on the Accord platform. He added that 24 state chairmen of Accord have endorsed Olawepo-Hashim and that a legal case over the presidential primary awaits judgment at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Why Intra-Party Squabbles Could Shape Osun and National Contests

The PDP Endorsement Timeline and the Accord Party Switch

At the heart of this row is the sequence of political endorsements. According to GHSM, Adeleke’s backing of President Tinubu was a PDP act before he joined Accord, while the national party was already courting Olawepo-Hashim as its presidential torchbearer. This matters because it undercuts the narrative that Adeleke’s shift to Accord forced an endorsement void. Instead, the movement casts him as a latecomer trying to retrofit his personal political calculations onto a party that had already chosen a national path.

What a Divided Accord Party Means for Governor Adeleke

The public sparring exposes a rift between a faction loyal to Governor Adeleke and one aligned with the national presidential candidate. For Adeleke, who needs a unified platform for his re-election in Osun State, the open accusation of "destroying" the party is a direct electoral liability. The GHSM warning echoes a familiar Nigerian political script where individual ambition frays party structures — and often precedes a loss at the polls. If the discord persists, it could dampen grassroots mobilization and give rivals a ready-made campaign narrative about a candidate who cannot manage his own house.

A Legal Cloud Hanging Over the National Ticket

The pending Federal High Court judgment on the Accord presidential primary adds further fragility. Regardless of the courtroom outcome, the uncertainty invites doubt about the party’s ability to present a cohesive front in 2027. The GHSM’s decision to anchor its argument in a court-reserved judgment is strategic — it signals institutional legitimacy while avoiding direct contempt. But it also means that until the ruling, both factions will likely continue to fight for control of the party’s narrative, leaving Accord in a state of suspended animation.