A Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the recognition of Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma 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.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu gave the ruling in a suit challenging the outcome of the APC senatorial primary conducted on May 18, 2026. The court held that Uzodimma did not win the primary and directed the party to submit Okorocha’s name to INEC as its candidate.
The judge also restrained Uzodimma from presenting himself as the APC’s senatorial candidate for the district, ruling that his nomination violated provisions of the Electoral Act and the party’s guidelines for conducting primary elections.
Justice Egwuatu declared that INEC’s publication of Uzodimma’s name as the winner of the primary was unlawful.
“That the publication of Hope Uzodimma’s name by INEC as the winner of the primary election is wrongful and unlawful,” the judge held.
In another order, the court set aside INEC’s publication of Uzodimma’s name on August 1 and directed the commission to replace it with Okorocha’s name.
The judge said Okorocha emerged as the lawful winner of the primary monitored by INEC and was entitled to have his name submitted to the electoral body by the APC.
Justice Egwuatu also criticised the party’s handling of the nomination process, citing inconsistencies in documents submitted to justify Uzodimma’s emergence as the candidate.
He said several documents tendered by the APC contradicted one another, raising doubts about their authenticity and reliability.
“Majority of the documents tendered by APC to support the purported nomination of Uzodimma (3rd respondent) contradict each other, indicating that they were clearly fabricated for the unlawful purpose of nominating the 3rd respondent as candidate.
“In view of the doubt cast on the authenticity of the documents, the court cannot ascribe probative value to the purported documents.”
The judge said documents certified and released to Okorocha following a formal request indicated that the former governor secured the majority of lawful votes cast across the 10 local government areas that make up Imo West Senatorial District.
He also identified conflicting accounts from APC officials regarding the method used to select the party’s candidate.
According to the judgment, one document indicated that Option A4 was used during the exercise, while another attributed Uzodimma’s emergence to a consensus arrangement. A separate document from another member of the party’s National Working Committee reportedly stated that a direct primary had been conducted.
The judge questioned how votes could have been allocated to aspirants if the party had adopted a consensus arrangement, describing the inconsistencies as significant to the dispute.
The legal battle followed conflicting claims over the outcome of the APC primary ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Uzodimma had been recognised as the party’s candidate after being declared the winner, with the reported official results showing that he polled 230,464 votes against Okorocha’s 1,098.
However, a separate document later circulated, purporting to show that Okorocha won the exercise with 150,780 votes. The conflicting figures became central to the dispute over which aspirant lawfully emerged from the primary.
Okorocha subsequently filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, challenging Uzodimma’s recognition and asking the court to determine whether INEC acted lawfully in accepting the governor’s nomination.
The suit also raised questions about Okorocha’s eligibility to contest the senatorial election while serving as governor, with the former governor asking the court to consider the relevant constitutional provisions.
Speaking to journalists after the judgment, Okorocha’s counsel, O.J. Aboje, described the ruling as a vindication of his client, who, he said, had faced media allegations of forging documents relating to the primary.
“Firstly, we’re happy. You recall that in the last few weeks my client has been accused in the media of forging documents; he did this, he did all that. But you have all heard the court.
“Like it’s always said, the court is the last hope for the common man, even though my client is not a common man. He has been vindicated,” Aboje said.
Amen Rochas, Okorocha’s son and Special Adviser on Political Matters, also commended the judiciary, alleging that attempts had been made to influence the court through fake news.
“I must salute the judiciary. With all this fake news that happened just recently, I’m sure it was to arm-twist the judiciary, but they stood firm,” he said.
He also praised his father for remaining focused on President Bola Tinubu’s campaign despite the controversy surrounding the senatorial primary.
The judgment places the APC’s Imo West senatorial nomination under a fresh legal and political spotlight ahead of the 2027 elections. The implementation of the court’s orders and any subsequent legal steps by the affected parties will be important in determining the final position of the candidates.
