TEXT OF A PRESS CONFERENCE DELIVERED BY THE ACCORD NATIONAL CHAIRMAN, BARR. MAXWELL MGBUDEN HELD AT THE PARTY’S NATIONAL SECRETARIAT, ABUJA ON THURSDAY, 23RD APRIL 2026
ACCORD DISOWNS PROTEST AT INEC, SAYS THERE IS NO FACTION IN THE PARTY
… CHRISTOPHER IMUMOLEN IS A POLITICAL CLOWN SEEKING CHEAP PUBLICITY TO REMAIN RELEVANT AFTER HIS EXPULSION
… IMUMOLEN’S PURPORTED COURT ORDER EXISTS IN HIS FERTILE IMAGINATION AFTER A POLITICAL HALLUCINATION OF BECOMING ACCORD CHAIRMAN, IF THERE IS A COURT ORDER HE WOULD HAVE DISPLAYED IT LIKE A TROPHY
… PARTY WILL NOT BE DISTRACTED BY A POORLY SCRIPTED SHOW FROM A POLITICAL NEOPHYTE
… ACCORD IS FOCUSED ON UPCOMING ELECTIONS AND WILL NOT DISSIPATE ENERGY RESPONDING TO FRIVOLITIES FROM AN EXPELLED MEMBER
Ladies and gentlemen of the Press,
On behalf of the national leadership of our great Party, Accord, I welcome you to this world press conference. I commend your efforts in disseminating information and effectively reporting national issues that have strengthened and deepened our emerging democracy as the watchdog and mirror of the society. It has become necessary to address you again after the party’s last world press conference on 23rd December 2025.
As Nigerians enter another election cycle with the upcoming Ekiti and Osun governorship polls and the 2027 general election, political clowns and jobbers have resumed their stomachs infrastructure show to get cheap publicity and mislead unsuspecting citizens maliciously fabricating factions in political parties where there is none.
On 21st April 2026, the expelled former candidate of Accord in the 2023 presidential election, Prof. Christopher Imumolen staged a poorly scripted show with a few street urchins at INEC headquarters Abuja, seeking to be recognised as chairman of the party based on an imaginary court order in what will go down in history as the worst showmanship by a political neophyte.
Accord would not have dignified Imumolen’s action with a response in order not to give him the publicity he craved for sustenance, but constrained to put the record straight to disabuse the minds of unsuspecting compatriots who might think that there is a leadership disagreement in the party.
For the avoidance of doubt, there is no leadership dispute or faction in Accord, and there is no court order in favour of Imumolen or anybody for INEC to comply with. If there is a court order, Imumolen would have carried and displayed it like a trophy instead of carrying an awkward placard. He failed to provide the purported court order to Journalists he invited for their news reports as it exists in his fertile imagination after a political hallucination of becoming the Accord chairman, which remains what it is, a mere dream.
What Imumolen still parades as a court order was an ex parte order he misled an FCT High Court to obtain on 3rd August 2024, foisted himself as chairman and broke into the party national secretariat on Saturday, 31st August 2024.
The national leadership of the party quickly approached the court and filed Motion No. M/11943/2024, seeking for an order of court to set aside the order of court obtained by fraud. On 2nd September 2024, Hon. Justice M. M. Adamu of the FCT High Court Vacation Court 3, ruled: “It shall be noted that Interim Orders lapse after Seven days, from there I Order for status quo to be maintained pending the outcome of the Motion on Notice.” The national leadership also filed Motion No. FCT/12032/2024, dated 4th September 2024, and equally filed a Motion Ex Parte seeking an order of interim injunction restraining Imumolen and his co-travelers from summoning and conducting any National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of Accord pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice No. M/11962/2024 and Notice of Preliminary Objection already filed and served. Similarly, an order directing Imumolen and cohorts to vacate the Accord national secretariat which they forcefully entered into on Saturday, 31st August 2024, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice No. M/11962/2024, already filed and served.
Again, the court ruled: “That an Order is hereby granted, directing 2nd to 15th Defendants/Applicants (Imumolen and his co-travelers) to Vacate the premises of the 1st Claimant (Accord) which they forcefully took over on Saturday, 31st August 2024, pending the hearing and determination of the Notice of Preliminary Objection already filed and served.”
This unambiguous ruling of the court terminated the inordinate ambition of Imumolen and his cohorts from hijacking Accord by misleading the court to grant an order it should not have granted if relevant facts were presented to it. Frustrated, Imumolen abandoned the suit he hastily instituted against the Maxwell Mgbuden’s leadership of the party. In the next adjourned date, the presiding Judge asked Imumolen’s counsel to move his motion. He said he was not ready to do so. The Judge in his wisdom returned the file to the Chief Judge for re-assignment.
The suit was eventually re-assigned to another judge. Despite being served all the court processes, Imumolen did not respond aware that it was a mission impossible. In dismissing Imumolen’s suit on 17th July 2025, Hon. Justice F. A. Aliyu declared: “From the totality of the issues raised and the authorities considered, it is clear that the subject matter of this suit pertains to a non-justiciable intra-party leadership dispute … In the light of the foregoing, the Preliminary Objection succeeds. This suit is accordingly struck out for want of jurisdiction. All pending applications and interim orders granted in this matter shall abide by this decision.”
This clear judgement of the court buried whatever inordinate ambition Imumolen has in Accord.
Following allegations of anti-party activities leveled against some members including Christopher Imumolen, the National Executive Committee (NEC) set up a disciplinary committee to investigate them in accordance with the party constitution. Despite being duly invited Imumolen and 10 others he co-opted failed to appear before the committee in a show of arrogance. The Disciplinary Committee presented its report to to the National Working Committee (NWC) and recommended their expulsion having found them guilty as alleged. The NWC adopted the report and subsequently presented it to the National Executive Committee (NEC), which equally upheld it in its meeting held on 20th November 2024. From the above, Imumolen is no longer a member of the party effective 20th November 2024. He did not appeal his expulsion till date and has been wandering aimlessly in political wilderness.
Accord is guided by the rule of law in its activities. Nobody is above the law including Prof. Christopher Imumolen.
The party urges citizens particularly aspirants who desire to contest elections on the platform of our great party to be mindful of this political merchant who has been roaming the political space and the courts in what the Supreme Court called forum shopping.
If Imumolen’s aim is to give public impression that there is a leadership dispute or faction in Accord, he failed woefully. Nigerians know that there is no faction in Accord as members are united in support of the authentic National Chairman of the party, Barr. Maxwell Mgbuden duly elected in the party’s national convention held at Nicon Luxury Hotel Abuja, on Sunday, 28th July 2024, and monitored by INEC. Prof. Imumolen did not participate in the convention which was widely reported in national media.
Accordingly, Accord dissociates itself from Imumolen’s misplaced showmanship at INEC headquarters. It did not emanate from the party. Imumolen’s distraction has been adequately addressed by the party as equally reported in the national media. We will not dissipate energy responding to the antics of a failed politician.
Accord is focused on the forthcoming Ekiti and Osun States gubernatorial elections and the 2027 general polls. As the ruling party in Osun State, Accord is strongly determined to provide fruits of democracy to the people and has been receiving thousands of citizens who recently joined our great party.
Accord remains the most peaceful party in Nigeria. It has become the beautiful bride of Nigerian democracy and the fastest growing political party in the country since His Excellency, Senator Ademola Adeleke joined Accord along with his his political associates and supporters. Governor Adeleke also attracted eminent citizens to the party including a Senator, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly members. The Osun State Chapter of PDP also adopted Senator Ademola Adeleke as its governorship candidate for the 15th August 2027 gubernatorial poll. The overwhelming support for the re-election of our action governor in Osun State is unprecedented in the history of the state. We urge Nigerians to join Accord. It is essential that citizens be in one accord in the interest of the nation.
Together, we will build a better, greater and prosperous democratic society future generations will be proud of.
ACCORD! ONENESS & PROGRESS!!
Barr. Maxwell Mgbuden
National Chairman, Accord
