A court ruling directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha as the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Imo West has raised fresh questions about the party’s nomination process and the political contest surrounding the district.
The reported judgment affects the senatorial candidacy of Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who had been named in connection with the APC’s ticket for the Imo West Senatorial District.
The ruling places the spotlight on the legal procedures governing party primaries, the responsibilities of INEC in recognising candidates, and the role of the judiciary in resolving disputes over party nominations.
Court rules in favour of Okorocha
Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered the judgment on Thursday, October 29, 2026, in a suit challenging Uzodimma’s recognition as the APC candidate for Imo West.
The court held that the evidence presented during the proceedings established that Okorocha won the majority of votes cast in the party’s senatorial primary conducted on May 18, 2026.
Consequently, the judge ordered the APC to submit Okorocha’s name to INEC as its candidate for the senatorial election scheduled for January 16, 2027. The commission was also directed to recognise and publish the former governor’s name, while Uzodimma was ordered to stop presenting himself as the party’s candidate for the contest. TheCable +2
How the dispute began
The disagreement followed the APC’s primary election to select its candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District, also known as the Orlu Senatorial District.
After the exercise, the party’s primary election committee announced Uzodimma as the winner, and INEC’s records reflected that outcome. However, Okorocha challenged the declaration, insisting that the result did not reflect the actual votes recorded during the exercise.
The former governor subsequently approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking judicial intervention over the party’s nomination process and INEC’s decision to recognise Uzodimma.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, filed in August 2026, Okorocha questioned whether INEC was legally required to consider the reports submitted by its officials who monitored the primary election.
He also challenged the lawfulness of publishing Uzodimma’s name as the winner, arguing that the governor had not emerged victorious from the exercise. TheCable +1
Conflicting claims over the primary results
The case featured conflicting accounts of the outcome of the May 18 primary.
The results initially announced by the APC committee credited Uzodimma with 230,464 votes, while Okorocha was recorded as having received 1,098 votes.
However, Okorocha’s camp disputed those figures and maintained that the former governor had secured the majority of votes cast. The disagreement over the results became a central issue in the legal battle.
During the proceedings, representatives of the party’s primary election committee defended the process, maintaining that votes were collated from the wards through the relevant local government centres before the final result was announced.
The defence also argued that the exercise complied substantially with the party’s rules and applicable electoral requirements.
Despite the competing accounts, Justice Egwuatu ruled that the evidence before the court established Okorocha as the valid winner of the primary. The judgment consequently overturned the basis for recognising Uzodimma as the party’s nominee. Punch Newspapers +1
APC and Uzodimma had opposed the suit
During the proceedings, Uzodimma and the APC challenged the legal action and sought its dismissal.
Their lawyers argued that the case was filed outside the time limit prescribed by law for challenging the outcome of a primary election.
They relied on Section 285(9) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which provides a 14-day period for instituting pre-election matters of the relevant kind.
The governor and the party maintained that Okorocha’s suit was statute-barred and should not proceed to a substantive determination.
Okorocha, however, urged the court to consider his arguments and grant the reliefs he sought, including the cancellation of Uzodimma’s recognition and an order directing INEC to publish his name as the APC candidate.
The court ultimately ruled in Okorocha’s favour, ordering the party and the electoral commission to take the steps necessary to recognise him as the nominee for Imo West. TheCable +1
What the judgment means for the 2027 election
The decision has altered the immediate position of the two politicians in the race for the Imo West senatorial seat ahead of the 2027 general election.
For Okorocha, the ruling provides judicial recognition of his claim to the APC ticket and directs the party and INEC to recognise him as its candidate.
For Uzodimma, the judgment removes the basis on which he had been recognised as the party’s nominee for the district and orders him to stop presenting himself as the candidate.
The ruling also places the APC under pressure to comply with the court’s directives and resolve the administrative implications of the decision before the election.
However, the possibility of further legal proceedings remains relevant to the development of the dispute. Any appeal or subsequent court order could affect how the case progresses, depending on the outcome of further proceedings.
Background to the political contest
Okorocha served as governor of Imo State from 2011 to 2019 before representing Imo West in the Senate from 2019 to 2023.
Uzodimma became governor of Imo State in January 2020 and was re-elected for a second term in the 2023 governorship election.
The contest over the APC senatorial ticket brought the two politicians into a dispute over who should represent the party in the district during the 2027 elections.
The case has also drawn attention to the procedures used by political parties to nominate candidates and the role of INEC in monitoring primary elections and publishing candidates’ names.
The outcome reinforces the importance of resolving disputes over party primaries through the appropriate legal channels, particularly where competing claims emerge over voting records and the validity of a nomination.
Conclusion
The Federal
By
Court Sacks Uzodimma as APC’s Imo West Senatorial Candidate, Orders INEC to Recognise Okorocha
A court ruling directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha as the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Imo West has raised fresh questions about the party’s nomination process and the political contest surrounding the district.
The reported judgment affects the senatorial candidacy of Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who had been named in connection with the APC’s ticket for the Imo West Senatorial District.
The ruling places the spotlight on the legal procedures governing party primaries, the responsibilities of INEC in recognising candidates, and the role of the judiciary in resolving disputes over party nominations.
Court rules in favour of Okorocha
Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered the judgment on Thursday, October 29, 2026, in a suit challenging Uzodimma’s recognition as the APC candidate for Imo West.
The court held that the evidence presented during the proceedings established that Okorocha won the majority of votes cast in the party’s senatorial primary conducted on May 18, 2026.
Consequently, the judge ordered the APC to submit Okorocha’s name to INEC as its candidate for the senatorial election scheduled for January 16, 2027. The commission was also directed to recognise and publish the former governor’s name, while Uzodimma was ordered to stop presenting himself as the party’s candidate for the contest. TheCable +2
How the dispute began
The disagreement followed the APC’s primary election to select its candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District, also known as the Orlu Senatorial District.
After the exercise, the party’s primary election committee announced Uzodimma as the winner, and INEC’s records reflected that outcome. However, Okorocha challenged the declaration, insisting that the result did not reflect the actual votes recorded during the exercise.
The former governor subsequently approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking judicial intervention over the party’s nomination process and INEC’s decision to recognise Uzodimma.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, filed in August 2026, Okorocha questioned whether INEC was legally required to consider the reports submitted by its officials who monitored the primary election.
He also challenged the lawfulness of publishing Uzodimma’s name as the winner, arguing that the governor had not emerged victorious from the exercise. TheCable +1
Conflicting claims over the primary results
The case featured conflicting accounts of the outcome of the May 18 primary.
The results initially announced by the APC committee credited Uzodimma with 230,464 votes, while Okorocha was recorded as having received 1,098 votes.
However, Okorocha’s camp disputed those figures and maintained that the former governor had secured the majority of votes cast. The disagreement over the results became a central issue in the legal battle.
During the proceedings, representatives of the party’s primary election committee defended the process, maintaining that votes were collated from the wards through the relevant local government centres before the final result was announced.
The defence also argued that the exercise complied substantially with the party’s rules and applicable electoral requirements.
Despite the competing accounts, Justice Egwuatu ruled that the evidence before the court established Okorocha as the valid winner of the primary. The judgment consequently overturned the basis for recognising Uzodimma as the party’s nominee. Punch Newspapers +1
APC and Uzodimma had opposed the suit
During the proceedings, Uzodimma and the APC challenged the legal action and sought its dismissal.
Their lawyers argued that the case was filed outside the time limit prescribed by law for challenging the outcome of a primary election.
They relied on Section 285(9) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which provides a 14-day period for instituting pre-election matters of the relevant kind.
The governor and the party maintained that Okorocha’s suit was statute-barred and should not proceed to a substantive determination.
Okorocha, however, urged the court to consider his arguments and grant the reliefs he sought, including the cancellation of Uzodimma’s recognition and an order directing INEC to publish his name as the APC candidate.
The court ultimately ruled in Okorocha’s favour, ordering the party and the electoral commission to take the steps necessary to recognise him as the nominee for Imo West. TheCable +1
What the judgment means for the 2027 election
The decision has altered the immediate position of the two politicians in the race for the Imo West senatorial seat ahead of the 2027 general election.
For Okorocha, the ruling provides judicial recognition of his claim to the APC ticket and directs the party and INEC to recognise him as its candidate.
For Uzodimma, the judgment removes the basis on which he had been recognised as the party’s nominee for the district and orders him to stop presenting himself as the candidate.
The ruling also places the APC under pressure to comply with the court’s directives and resolve the administrative implications of the decision before the election.
However, the possibility of further legal proceedings remains relevant to the development of the dispute. Any appeal or subsequent court order could affect how the case progresses, depending on the outcome of further proceedings.
Background to the political contest
Okorocha served as governor of Imo State from 2011 to 2019 before representing Imo West in the Senate from 2019 to 2023.
Uzodimma became governor of Imo State in January 2020 and was re-elected for a second term in the 2023 governorship election.
The contest over the APC senatorial ticket brought the two politicians into a dispute over who should represent the party in the district during the 2027 elections.
The case has also drawn attention to the procedures used by political parties to nominate candidates and the role of INEC in monitoring primary elections and publishing candidates’ names.
The outcome reinforces the importance of resolving disputes over party primaries through the appropriate legal channels, particularly where competing claims emerge over voting records and the validity of a nomination.
Conclusion
The Federal High Court’s judgment on October 29 marks a significant development in the APC’s preparations for the 2027 Imo West senatorial election.
By declaring that Okorocha won the May 18 primary and ordering INEC to recognise him, the court has overturned Uzodimma’s previously recognised candidacy and directed the party to submit the former governor’s name.
Attention will now turn to the implementation of the judgment and whether any further legal action will follow as preparations for the election continue.
The immediate position, according to the court’s reported ruling, is that Rochas Okorocha is to be recognised as the APC’s candidate for Imo West, while Hope Uzodimma has been ordered to stop presenting himself as the party’s nominee. The Guardian Nigeria +2The immediate position, according to the court’s reported ruling, is that Rochas Okorocha is to be recognised as the APC’s candidate for Imo West, while Hope Uzodimma has been ordered to stop presenting himself as the party’s nominee. The Guardian Nigeria +2