Court overturns Uzodimma’s senatorial nomination, backs Okorocha

A Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified Governor Hope Uzodimma’s nomination as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general election, declaring former governor Rochas Okorocha the rightful winner of the party’s primary.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu gave the ruling on Thursday, October 29, directing Uzodimma to stop presenting himself as the APC’s candidate for the senatorial seat scheduled for January 16, 2027.

The judge also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove Uzodimma’s name and restore Okorocha’s name as the party’s duly nominated candidate.

In his judgment, Egwuatu held that evidence presented before the court established that Okorocha secured the highest number of votes at the APC primary conducted on May 18 and monitored by INEC.

The dispute followed the party’s decision to submit Uzodimma’s name to INEC despite Okorocha’s claim that he had won the primary election.

Okorocha subsequently approached the court in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, challenging the submission and publication of the governor’s name as the party’s candidate.

He asked the court to set aside Uzodimma’s nomination and compel INEC to recognise him as the rightful winner of the primary.

APC, INEC and Uzodimma opposed the suit, arguing that the governor had won the primary and that Okorocha’s case was filed outside the period permitted by law.

Rejecting their argument, the judge held that the case was filed within the 14-day period prescribed by law. He identified August 1, when INEC published Uzodimma’s name, as the date the cause of action arose, rather than the May 18 primary election or the July 14 submission of the governor’s name.

The court also questioned the reliability of documents presented by the defendants to support Uzodimma’s nomination, noting inconsistencies in the materials.

Egwuatu further faulted the APC for failing to provide Okorocha with the relevant INEC nomination form despite his repeated requests.

He held that the electoral commission acted unlawfully by accepting and recognising Uzodimma as the party’s candidate when the evidence before the court established that he did not win the primary.

The ruling has, however, been disputed by the APC’s Imo State chapter, which insisted that Uzodimma remains its candidate, maintaining that the governor won the primary with overwhelming support from party members.

Okorocha, who governed Imo State between 2011 and 2019, previously represented Imo West in the Senate from 2019 to 2023.