…orders INEC to publish Okorocha’s name
The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the emergence of Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general election, directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise former governor Rochas Okorocha as the party’s nominee.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu, who delivered the judgment on Thursday, October 29, 2026 held that the evidence before the court established that Uzodimma did not emerge as the valid winner of the APC senatorial primary conducted on May 18, 2026.
The judge ruled that Okorocha secured the highest number of votes at the primary and was therefore entitled to the party’s ticket.
Consequently, the court ordered INEC to recognise and publish Okorocha’s name as the APC candidate for the Imo West senatorial election scheduled for January 16, 2027.
The court also restrained Uzodimma from presenting himself as the party’s candidate for the election, dealing a major setback to the governor ’s plan to return to the Senate after his tenure in Imo state.
