Blessing Ben, Martha Udom
The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the nomination of Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Imo West Senatorial District and ordered the party to recognise former Governor Rochas Okorocha as its candidate for the 2027 election.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu, in judgment delivered on Thursday, October 29, 2026, in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, ordered the APC to forward Okorocha’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and directed INEC to publish it as the party’s candidate for the election scheduled for January 16, 2027.
The court also restrained Uzodimma from parading himself as the APC candidate and set aside INEC’s publication of his name on August 1, 2026.
The dispute centred on the APC primary conducted on May 18, 2026. While the APC maintained that Uzodimma won with 230,464 votes against Okorocha’s 1,098 votes, Okorocha contended that INEC’s monitoring report showed he polled 150,780 votes against Uzodimma’s 102,158 votes.
In his judgment, Justice Egwuatu held that INEC was bound by the report of its own officials which, according to the court, established Okorocha as the winner. The judge held that the documents tendered by the APC to support Uzodimma’s nomination were contradictory and lacked probative value.
“The publication of Hope Uzodimma’s name by INEC as the winner of the primary election is wrongful and unlawful,” the court held.
The APC and Uzodimma had opposed the suit on the ground that it was filed outside the 14-day period prescribed for pre-election matters under Section 285(9) of the Constitution. Okorocha filed the suit on August 13, 2026, nearly three months after the primary. INEC also opposed the claim, insisting its report recognised Uzodimma.
The court overruled the objections and granted Okorocha’s reliefs.
Okorocha, who represented Imo West from 2019 to 2023, hailed the judgment, describing it as the triumph of justice.
However, the Imo State chapter of the APC has rejected the judgment. The State Chairman, Austin Onyedebelu, described it as “deeply troubling,” arguing that the court entertained a suit that was statute-barred.
The Commissioner for Information, Declan Emelumba, said the Imo State Government views the decision as a “travesty of justice” and confirmed that Uzodimma will appeal.
As of Friday, October 30, 2026, INEC has not published a new list of candidates for Imo West.
