The Presidential candidate of the Accord Party for the 2027 election, Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has said Nigeria’s security and economic challenges can be resolved with strong political backing and consistent leadership.
Olawepo-Hashim stated this when he appeared as a guest on Friday’s edition of Channels Television’s show, Politics Today, where he spoke on his presidential ambition, national unity, and preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He said his political structure had already commenced extensive grassroots mobilisation across the country ahead of the polls.
‘We have quietly mobilised about one million of our supporters into the Accord Party, and we are still doing so,’ Olawepo-Hashim said.
The Accord candidate reacted to comments reportedly credited to a governor suggesting that the party would not field a presidential candidate in 2027.
Describing the remark as an overreach, he insisted that no individual possesses the authority to determine who becomes Nigeria’s next president.
‘That is an overreach for him. The presidency of Nigeria is too big for anyone to allocate. It is in the hands of God and the Nigerian people,’ he said.
Olawepo-Hashim argued that political actors often make such pronouncements out of fear and political survival instincts within Nigeria’s competitive environment.
‘I know the governor is scared stiff that if he does not go about dancing and declaring support for the incumbent president in a rival party, they would rig him out. But that does not give him the power to allocate the presidency,’ he added.
He maintained that political power ultimately belongs to the electorate and cautioned against attempts to predetermine the outcome of future elections.
‘When power changes hands, those who think they can control it will be shocked and humbled,’ he stated.
On security, the Accord candidate said the recent successful rescue of victims abducted in Oyo State shows that Nigeria’s security forces have the capacity to defeat criminal gangs.
‘We have never doubted the ability of Nigeria’s Defence Forces to secure the country. What has often been lacking is clarity of purpose and unwavering political leadership,’ he said.
He cited the Nigerian military’s record in international peacekeeping missions in Liberia and Sierra Leone under ECOMOG as proof of what the country can achieve with direction.
According to him, the successful rescue in Oriire should serve as a model for a coordinated nationwide campaign against kidnappers and bandits.
‘The same determination that secured the freedom of the Oriire victims must now be deployed across every community where innocent Nigerians remain in captivity,’ he stated.
Olawepo-Hashim reaffirmed his commitment to providing Nigerians with what he described as a credible alternative anchored on competence, national unity, economic revival and inclusive development.
He said Accord would offer Nigerians an alternative platform built on grassroots mobilisation and issue-based politics ahead of 2027.