Court Reportedly Deals Uzodimma A Blow, Declares Okorocha APC’s Imo West Senate Candidate

By Passman Akpos

ABUJA, NIGERIA — The political battle between former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha and incumbent Governor Hope Uzodimma over the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial ticket for Imo West has taken a major turn, following reports that the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled in Okorocha’s favour.

According to the report, the court declared Okorocha the APC’s candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general election and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish his name.

The reported judgment was attributed to Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026.

However, the full text of the judgment and its specific orders were not available at the time of reporting. The precise scope of the ruling could therefore not be independently established.

HOW THE DISPUTE STARTED

The legal battle followed the APC’s senatorial primary election conducted on May 18, 2026, which produced conflicting claims over who legitimately won the party’s ticket for Imo West.

Okorocha, who served as Imo State governor from 2011 to 2019 and represented Imo West in the Senate from 2019 to 2023, challenged INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the party’s candidate.

The former governor filed the suit on August 13, 2026, through his counsel, O.J. Aboje, joining INEC, Uzodimma and the APC as respondents.

He asked the court to determine whether the electoral commission acted lawfully by recognising Uzodimma as the winner of the primary and whether INEC was bound by reports submitted by its officials who monitored the exercise.

CONTROVERSY OVER PRIMARY RESULTS

A central issue in the dispute was the sharp disagreement over the results of the May 18 primary.

In an affidavit supporting Okorocha’s case, his son, Amen Rochas, alleged that the former governor won the primary with 150,780 votes, while Uzodimma scored 102,158 votes.

However, the APC’s primary election committee reportedly declared Uzodimma the winner with 230,464 votes, while Okorocha scored 1,098 votes, according to accounts of the defendants’ position in the case.

The conflicting figures became a major point of contention, with Okorocha challenging the result used to recognise Uzodimma as the party’s candidate.

INEC also maintained in its court filings that its officials monitored the primary and submitted a report identifying Uzodimma as the winner.

The commission disputed some of the documents relied upon by Okorocha, while the governor and the APC urged the court to dismiss the suit.

The reported judgment would therefore mark a significant development in the dispute, although the court’s precise findings on the competing evidence require confirmation from the judgment itself.

OKOROCHA RAISED CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTIONS

Beyond the disputed primary results, Okorocha also questioned whether Uzodimma could pursue the senatorial seat while still serving as governor of Imo State.

Uzodimma was sworn in for his second term in January 2024, with his tenure scheduled to end in January 2028.

The 11th National Assembly is scheduled to be inaugurated in June 2027, before the governor’s current tenure expires.

Okorocha relied on Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution, which provides that a governor shall not, during the period in which he holds office, hold another executive office or paid employment.

He asked the court to declare INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the APC candidate wrongful and unconstitutional, set aside the publication and direct the commission to recognise and publish his name instead.

However, the constitutional question of contesting another elective office while serving as governor is distinct from the question of holding two offices simultaneously. The court’s actual reasoning on this issue remains unconfirmed.

APC FACES A MAJOR TEST AHEAD OF 2027

The dispute has placed the APC’s Imo West senatorial ticket at the centre of a closely watched political and legal contest ahead of the 2027 general election.

If the reported ruling and the alleged directive to INEC are confirmed by the court’s official judgment, the decision could alter the party’s candidate arrangements for the senatorial district.

It would also raise questions about the legal status of Uzodimma’s previously recognised nomination and the steps the APC and INEC may take in response.

For now, the decisive document remains the court’s judgment, which would establish the exact orders made and the legal grounds on which the court reached its decision.

Tarakirivoice Newspaper will continue to follow the case and provide updates as the judgment and any subsequent reactions from the parties become available.