The National Working Committee of the Accord Party has dismissed as “laughable” the purported suspension of its National Chairman, Maxwell Mgbudem, describing the move as the handiwork of “political jobbers seeking relevance”.
In a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Joseph Omorogbe, the party condemned the claim made at a stakeholders’ meeting held in Keffi, Nasarawa State. According to the statement, the action was spearheaded by former presidential candidate Chris Imumolen, whom the party insists was expelled long ago.
Omorogbe described the so-called vote of no confidence as “a joke taken too far”, alleging that Imumolen was merely seeking “cheap publicity to mislead unsuspecting members of the public”.
He stressed that Maxwell Mgbudem remains the legitimate National Chairman of Accord, duly recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and listed on its official website.
The statement further noted that Accord is united and would not be distracted by the activities of individuals it labelled as “expelled members and their sponsors”, whom it accused of working to destabilise the party ahead of the 2027 general election.
According to Omorogbe, the party under Mgbudem’s leadership has been “reorganised and repositioned” as a progressive mass movement geared towards building a better and more prosperous democratic Nigeria.
The controversy emerged barely 24 hours after a faction of state chairpersons from all 36 states met in Keffi, where they claimed to have suspended Mgbudem over alleged anti-party activities and subsequently named Imumolen as national chairman. The mainstream leadership maintains that this faction has no constitutional standing within the party.
Omorogbe also referenced a Federal High Court ruling, accusing Imumolen and his associates of colluding with external political actors during the Anambra governorship election—allegations the party’s leadership now dismisses as fabricated.
Accord pointed to recent judicial decisions, including Justice Fatima A. Aliyu’s 17 July 2025 ruling striking out a suit filed by Imumolen and others, saying the judgment further reinforces Mgbudem’s leadership status.
Reiterating its stance, the party urged Nigerians to disregard what it termed Imumolen’s “political ranting”, asserting that the Keffi gathering is “not an organ of the party and has no place in the Accord constitution”.
While acknowledging persistent internal tensions ahead of critical election cycles, the leadership insisted that there is no legitimate leadership crisis within the party and that its structures remain intact.
