Court Removes Uzodinma as APC Senatorial Candidate, Orders INEC to Recognise Okorocha
The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the emergence of Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general...
The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the emergence of Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise former governor Rochas Okorocha as the party’s flagbearer.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu, who delivered the judgement on Thursday, October 29, held that evidence presented before the court established that Okorocha won the APC senatorial primary conducted on May 18, 2026, contrary to the result that had recognised Uzodinma as the winner.
The judge consequently directed the APC to forward Okorocha’s name to INEC as its candidate for the senatorial election scheduled for January 16, 2027, and ordered the electoral commission to publish his name, restraining the Imo State governor from continuing to present himself as the APC candidate for the district.
The judgement followed a suit filed by Okorocha challenging INEC’s recognition of Uzodinma as the winner of the party’s primary, amid conflicting accounts of the votes recorded by the two politicians in the primary elections.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026 filed in August, Okorocha contended the legitimacy of Uzodinma’s candidacy and asked the court to determine whether the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is not bound by the reports of its officers who monitored the APC primary conducted on May 18 for the nomination of a candidate for the Imo West senatorial district.
Citing section 183 of the 1999 Constitution, Okorocha asked the court to determine whether the publication of Uzodimma’s name by INEC as the winner of the primary was lawful, as it states that “The Governor shall not, during the period when he holds office, hold any other executive office or paid employment in any capacity whatsoever.”
He also argued that Hope Uzodinma did not emerge as the winner of the primary election, thereby making it unlawful for INEC to publish the governor’s name as the APC candidate for Imo West, and sought orders compelling INEC to recognise Okorocha as the party’s duly nominated candidate.
Recall that INEC had previously recognised Uzodinma as the APC candidate for the Imo West senatorial district, following his declaration as the winner of the primary by William Kayode, the chairman and returning officer of the 2026 National Assembly primary election committee, declaring that Uzodinma got 230,464 votes against the 1,098 votes recorded for Okorocha.
Not satisfied with the outcome of the primary, Okorocha challenged the result, insisting that he won the primary and that the outcome submitted to the electoral commission did not reflect the votes cast during the exercise.
In an affidavit supporting his case, Amen Rochas, Okorocha’s son and personal assistant on political matters, alleged that the former governor secured 150,780 votes, while Uzodinma received 102,158 votes.
While Okorocha maintained that the result in his favour was the authentic outcome of the exercise, Governor Hope Uzodinma’s camp defended the result announced by the party’s primary election committee.
In their defence, Uzodinma lawyers argued that the suit was statute-barred because it was not instituted within the 14 days prescribed for pre-election matters under Section 285(9) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. They maintained that Okorocha filed the action outside the period allowed by law.
Despite the conflicting accounts, Justice Egwuatu held that the evidence before the court established that Okorocha secured the majority of votes cast and was entitled to recognition as the winner.
With the Federal High Court ruling in Okorocha’s favour, attention now turns to compliance with the judgement, any possible appeal, and the eventual publication of the APC’s candidate for Imo West ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The development also adds another dimension to political activities in the state, as it determines the APC’s fate in the 2027 general elections, since both parties involved are influential in the state and the senatorial district. Okorocha governed Imo State from 2011 to 2019 and represented Imo West in the Senate from 2019 to 2023. Uzodinma became governor in January 2020 and secured re-election in November 2023 for a second term.
No Comment! Be the first one.