FEATURED
Uzodimma Loses Imo West Senate Ticket as Court Upholds Okorocha’s Claim
A Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the recognition of Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma as the All Progressives Congress candidate for Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections, ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise former governor Rochas Okorocha as the party’s candidate.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu, in his judgment, held that Uzodimma did not emerge as the lawful winner of the APC senatorial primary conducted on May 18, 2026.
The judge consequently set aside INEC’s publication of Uzodimma’s name as the party’s candidate and directed the commission to replace it with Okorocha’s name.
He also restrained Uzodimma from presenting himself as the APC’s senatorial candidate for the January 16, 2027 election.
Justice Egwuatu held that the governor’s nomination violated Sections 29 and 32 of the Electoral Act and failed to comply with the party’s guidelines for conducting primary elections.
The court further declared that forwarding Uzodimma’s name to INEC as the winner of a primary he did not win was unlawful and fraudulent.
“The publication of Hope Uzodimma’s name by INEC as the winner of the primary election is wrongful and unlawful,” the judge ruled.
He added that INEC’s publication of Uzodimma’s name on August 1 as the APC senatorial candidate for Imo West was set aside, directing the commission to restore Okorocha’s name.
The judge also faulted INEC for accepting Uzodimma’s nomination despite what he described as overwhelming documentary evidence indicating that the governor was not the lawful winner of the primary.
According to him, reports prepared by INEC officials who monitored the exercise established that Okorocha secured the majority of lawful votes cast across the 10 local government areas in the senatorial district.
Justice Egwuatu also questioned the credibility of documents submitted by the APC to justify Uzodimma’s nomination, citing inconsistencies in the accounts of how the primary was conducted.
He said several documents tendered by the party contradicted one another, raising doubts about their authenticity.
“Majority of the documents tendered by APC to support the purported nomination of Uzodimma contradict each other, indicating that they were clearly fabricated for the unlawful purpose of nominating the third respondent as candidate,” the judge said.
He added that the court could not attach evidential value to the disputed documents because of doubts surrounding their authenticity.
The judge identified conflicting accounts from APC officials regarding the method used to select the party’s candidate.
According to him, one document indicated that Option A4 was used for the exercise, while another, attributed to a member of the party’s National Working Committee, claimed Uzodimma emerged through consensus.
A separate document from another NWC member, however, stated that a direct primary was conducted.
Justice Egwuatu described the discrepancies as significant, particularly because votes were reportedly allocated to aspirants despite the claim that the candidate emerged through consensus.
The court therefore directed the APC to submit Okorocha’s name to INEC and ordered the commission to replace Uzodimma’s name with that of the former governor.
The legal battle followed conflicting claims over the outcome of the APC primary for Imo West Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Uzodimma was initially declared the winner and recognised by INEC, which maintained that the official results showed the governor polled 230,464 votes, while Okorocha received 1,098 votes.
However, a separate document later circulated, purportedly showing that Okorocha won the primary with 150,780 votes.
The conflicting figures prompted Okorocha to approach the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge Uzodimma’s nomination and INEC’s recognition of the incumbent governor as the party’s candidate.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, sought a determination of whether INEC was right to recognise Uzodimma as the winner of the disputed primary.
The former governor also raised questions about Uzodimma’s eligibility to contest the senatorial election while serving as governor, asking the court to consider the relevant constitutional provisions.
Reacting to the judgment, Okorocha’s counsel, O.J. Aboje, described the ruling as a vindication of his client, who, he said, had faced allegations in the media of forging documents relating to the primary.
“We’re happy. You recall that in the last few weeks, my client has been accused in the media of forging documents. But you have all heard the court,” Aboje said.
He added that the judgment reaffirmed the role of the judiciary in resolving disputes and protecting the rights of litigants.
Similarly, Okorocha’s son and Special Adviser on Political Matters, Amen Rochas, commended the judiciary for what he described as a fair decision.
He alleged that the circulation of fake news surrounding the dispute was intended to influence the court but expressed satisfaction that the judiciary had remained firm.
Amen also praised his father for remaining focused on President Bola Tinubu’s campaign despite the pressure arising from the senatorial nomination d
ispute.
