● Orders INEC to replace Uzodimma
● Imo APC insists governor remains its candidate
● Former governor welcomes judgment, says he is ready for appeal
By PHC Telegraph
Governor Hope Uzodimma’s bid to represent Imo West in the Senate suffered a setback on Thursday as the Federal High Court in Abuja recognised former governor Rochas Okorocha as the All Progressives Congress candidate for the district.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu held that Okorocha won the party’s May 18 primary and ordered the APC to forward his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission for the 2027 election.
The court also directed INEC to publish Okorocha’s name in place of Uzodimma’s and restrained the governor from presenting himself as the party’s senatorial candidate, according to reports of the judgment.
But the Imo State chapter of the APC maintained that Uzodimma remained its candidate, setting out a position at odds with the court’s decision.
In a statement issued by its publicity secretary, Jones Onwuasoanya, the party said the governor won the primary with the support of the majority of its members.
It said its legal department would study the judgment and determine its next steps, while urging supporters to remain focused on the elections.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, was brought by Okorocha against INEC, the APC and Uzodimma over the recognition of the governor as the party’s nominee.
At its centre were sharply conflicting accounts of the primary election.
In an affidavit supporting Okorocha’s case, his son and political aide, Amen Rochas, said the former governor polled 150,780 votes against Uzodimma’s 102,158.
The governor’s side disputed that account. Lucky Ajokperiniovo, who identified himself as a member of the primary election committee, said Uzodimma secured 230,464 votes while Okorocha received 1,098.
INEC also opposed the suit, maintaining that its monitoring report supported Uzodimma’s emergence.
Courtroom reports indicate that Justice Egwuatu questioned inconsistencies in documents presented to support the governor’s nomination.
The accounts attributed to party officials variously described the exercise as involving Option A4, a consensus arrangement and a direct primary.
The judge reportedly found that the contradictions undermined the reliability of the documents and accepted certified records supporting Okorocha’s claim.
Uzodimma and the APC had also challenged the competence of the suit, arguing that it was filed outside the constitutional 14-day period for instituting a pre-election action.
The available reports do not fully explain the judge’s reasoning on that objection.
Okorocha welcomed the judgment, saying it vindicated his position. Speaking to journalists afterwards, he indicated that he was prepared to defend the decision if the opposing side appealed.
The ruling gives fresh momentum to the former governor’s attempt to return to the Senate. Okorocha governed Imo State between 2011 and 2019 and represented Imo West in the Senate from 2019 to 2023.
Politically, the decision intensifies the contest for influence within the Imo APC and leaves the party facing the task of managing supporters of both men as campaigning continues.
The reported orders concern the senatorial nomination and do not remove Uzodimma from office as governor. Equally, recognition as the APC candidate does not amount to election to the Senate.
Uzodimma can challenge the judgment on appeal. As of this report, an appeal filing, any order suspending implementation and INEC’s publication of an amended candidate list had not been independently verified.
