The Accord Party has dismissed claims of factionalisation within its ranks, insisting that it remains united, stable and under the legitimate leadership of its National Chairman, Barrister Maxwell Mgbudem, who is duly recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Speaking on Tuesday at a world press conference held at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja, Mgbudem described Accord as “the most peaceful, stable, united, progressive and fastest-growing political party in Nigeria,” stressing that there is no faction at any level of the party’s leadership.
The party leadership accused its former 2023 presidential candidate, Professor Christopher Imumolen, who has since been expelled, of spreading falsehoods and propaganda to mislead the public over the leadership of Accord.
Mgbudem said Imumolen was expelled from the party for gross misconduct and anti-party activities, a decision he did not challenge or appeal, adding that the former candidate’s recent media appearances and claims of being the national chairman were baseless and misleading.
According to the Accord chairman, the party’s National Convention was validly held on July 28, 2024, at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja, in line with the party’s constitution, the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines, with the electoral umpire monitoring the exercise.
“At the end of the convention, the Barrister Maxwell Mgbudem-led National Working Committee was duly elected and sworn in. INEC and stakeholders in the democratic process have continued to relate with me as the authentic National Chairman of Accord,” he said.
Mgbudem recounted a series of court cases instituted by Imumolen, noting that the courts consistently declined jurisdiction on the matter, ruling that leadership disputes within political parties are internal affairs and non-justiciable, except where statutory violations are involved.
He cited rulings by the Federal Capital Territory High Court which vacated interim orders earlier obtained by Imumolen and ordered him and his supporters to vacate the party’s national secretariat, effectively terminating what the party described as an attempt to hijack Accord through the courts.
The Accord chairman further explained that a seven-man disciplinary committee was constituted by the National Working Committee to investigate allegations against Imumolen and others, adding that the committee found him guilty of actions that brought the party into disrepute.
The committee’s report, he said, was adopted by the NWC and unanimously endorsed by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) on November 20, 2024, resulting in Imumolen’s expulsion alongside some of his supporters.
He added that the NEC passed a vote of confidence in his leadership and urged members to remain united, reiterating that there is no faction within the party.
Mgbudem also linked the renewed controversies to the growing influence of Accord following the defection of Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, to the party, noting that Adeleke’s emergence as Accord’s candidate for the 2026 Osun State governorship election has attracted thousands of new members nationwide.
Describing critics as “political jobbers and nomads seeking cheap publicity and stomach infrastructure,” the Accord chairman said the party would no longer dissipate energy responding to frivolous claims.
“We are focused on winning upcoming elections in Osun, Ekiti and the FCT area councils, and on preparing for the 2027 general election,” he said.
Mgbudem urged the media to be guided by verified facts in their reporting and assured that the party remains committed to discipline, internal democracy and national development.
