The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma’s emergence as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general election.
The court directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha as the party’s nominee for the senatorial election scheduled for January 16, 2027.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu delivered the judgment on Thursday, October 29, 2026, ruling that the evidence before the court established that Uzodimma did not validly win the APC senatorial primary conducted on May 18, 2026.
The judge held that Okorocha secured the highest number of votes in the primary and was therefore entitled to the party’s ticket.
The court also restrained Uzodimma from presenting himself as the APC candidate for the election, dealing a setback to the governor’s reported ambition to return to the Senate after completing his tenure.
How The APC Senatorial Primary Dispute Began
The dispute followed the APC primary election held on May 18 to select the party’s candidate for Imo West, also known as Orlu Senatorial District.
Both Uzodimma and Okorocha contested the ticket. Okorocha governed Imo State from 2011 to 2019 and represented Imo West in the Senate from 2019 to 2023.
After the exercise, INEC published Uzodimma’s name as the winner. Okorocha subsequently challenged the outcome in court, arguing that the commission’s publication contradicted reports allegedly submitted by its officials who monitored the primary.
In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, filed on August 13, 2026, Okorocha asked the court to set aside Uzodimma’s nomination and direct INEC to recognise him as the duly nominated APC candidate.
The suit named INEC, the APC and Uzodimma as respondents.
Conflicting Vote Figures Emerged In Court
The legal battle featured sharply conflicting accounts of the votes recorded during the primary.
In an affidavit supporting Okorocha’s case, his son and Personal Assistant on Political Matters, Amen Rochas, alleged that the former governor won with 150,780 votes, while Uzodimma scored 102,158.
However, Lucky Ajokperiniovo, who identified himself as a member of the APC committee that conducted the primary, disputed those figures.
In his counter-affidavit, Ajokperiniovo said Uzodimma won with 230,464 votes, while Okorocha received 1,098 votes.
He maintained that the committee collated results from wards through local government collation centres before declaring the final outcome.
Ajokperiniovo also said committee members signed the report on May 18 and that the exercise substantially complied with the APC constitution, party guidelines and the Electoral Act, 2026.
He further claimed that the party’s appeal committee did not receive any petition challenging the primary.
The court, however, ruled in Okorocha’s favour, holding that the evidence established him as the valid winner.
INEC Had Recognised Uzodimma As Winner
Before the judgment, INEC maintained that Uzodimma won the APC primary and asked security agencies to investigate a document circulating on social media that identified Okorocha as the winner.
In letters dated October 5 and 8, 2026, Imo Resident Electoral Commissioner Chukwuemeka Ibeziako reportedly asked the Department of State Services and the police to investigate the document, which the commission described as fictitious.
INEC said its official report identified Uzodimma as the winner of the May 18 exercise.
The commission also opposed Okorocha’s suit, arguing that its officials monitored the primary and reported that the governor secured the highest number of votes.
INEC further stated that it had not received complaints from aspirants concerning the conduct or outcome of the exercise.
Thursday’s judgment consequently overturned the position the commission had maintained regarding the APC primary.
Uzodimma And APC Had Challenged The Suit
During the proceedings, Uzodimma and the APC filed separate preliminary objections seeking the dismissal of Okorocha’s case.
Their lawyers argued that the suit was statute-barred because Okorocha did not file it within the 14-day period prescribed by Section 285(9) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The governor and the party maintained that the action was instituted outside the period allowed by law.
Okorocha urged the court to grant his requested reliefs, including setting aside INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma and compelling the commission to publish his name as the APC candidate.
After hearing arguments from the parties, Justice Egwuatu fixed October 29 for judgment and subsequently ruled in Okorocha’s favour.
What The Judgment Means For The 2027 Election
The ruling changes the legal position regarding the APC’s nomination for the Imo West senatorial contest ahead of the 2027 general election.
The court has directed INEC to recognise Okorocha as the party’s candidate and restrained Uzodimma from presenting himself as the nominee.
The judgment also places the APC and INEC at the centre of the next steps required to implement the court’s orders.
Uzodimma became governor of Imo State in January 2020 and is serving his second term. His reported senatorial ambition had brought him into competition with his predecessor over the APC ticket for the same district.
Any subsequent appeal or further judicial proceedings could affect the course of the dispute.
For now, according to the judgment described in the report, Okorocha has secured a court order recognising him as the APC nominee for Imo West in the January 16, 2027 senatorial election.
