A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has nullified Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma’s nomination as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections.
The court, presided over by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, on Thursday, October 29, 2026, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise former Imo State governor Rochas Okorocha as the party’s candidate for the senatorial district.
The judge also restrained Uzodimma from parading himself as the APC candidate for the election scheduled for January 16, 2027, holding that he did not emerge as the valid winner of the party’s primary election conducted on May 18, 2026.
According to reports, the court found that evidence presented during the proceedings established that Okorocha secured the majority of lawful votes cast during the primary.
Justice Egwuatu consequently directed the APC to forward Okorocha’s name to INEC and ordered the electoral commission to replace Uzodimma’s name with that of the former governor.
The judgment followed a suit filed by Okorocha challenging Uzodimma’s recognition as the APC candidate for Imo West, also known as Orlu Senatorial District.
Okorocha had disputed the outcome of the primary, arguing that the results and reports from INEC officials who monitored the exercise did not support the governor’s emergence as the party’s flag bearer.
The dispute reportedly involved conflicting accounts of how the primary was conducted, with discrepancies in documents submitted to justify Uzodimma’s nomination.
The court ruled that the evidence supporting Okorocha’s claim established him as the lawful winner of the primary.
The ruling represents a setback for Uzodimma’s reported ambition to return to the Senate after completing his tenure as governor of Imo State.
Okorocha previously represented Imo West in the Senate from 2019 to 2023 after serving as governor of the state between 2011 and 2019.
However, the legal dispute could continue if the affected parties pursue further legal action.
The development comes amid political manoeuvring within the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The parties’ responses to the judgment and any subsequent appeal could determine the final outcome of the contest for the Imo West senatorial ticket.
