The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the nomination of Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections, declaring former Governor Rochas Okorocha the winner of the party’s primary.
Delivering judgment on Thursday October 29 2026, Justice Obiora Egwuatu directed Uzodinma to stop presenting himself as the APC’s senatorial candidate and ordered the party to submit Okorocha’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its duly nominated candidate. The court held that the evidence presented established that Okorocha won the direct primary conducted on May 18.
Okorocha had instituted the suit to challenge INEC’s decision to publish Uzodinma’s name as the party’s candidate, alleging that the commission failed to consider reports submitted by its officials who monitored the exercise. The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, was filed on August 13, with INEC, the APC and Uzodinma listed as the first, second and third respondents.
Okorocha, who governed Imo State between 2011 and 2019 and represented Imo West in the Senate from 2019 to 2023, maintained that the commission’s publication did not reflect the actual outcome of the party’s primary.
In an affidavit supporting the suit, his son and Personal Assistant on Political Matters, Amen Rochas, alleged that Okorocha secured 150,780 votes, while Uzodinma received 102,158 votes. The affidavit further claimed that although the APC submitted reports detailing the conduct and outcome of the primary to INEC, the commission published Uzodinma’s name as the winner on August 1.
Okorocha consequently asked the court to set aside the publication and compel INEC to recognise him as the party’s candidate for the 2027 senatorial election. However, Uzodinma, the APC and INEC opposed the suit, disputing his claims and urging the court to dismiss the case. The governor and the party also argued that the action was filed outside the 14-day period prescribed by Section 285(9) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. Their respective lawyers, Robort Emukpoeruo, SAN, and Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, maintained that the suit was statute-barred.
Meanwhile in a counter-affidavit, Lucky Ajokperiniovo, who identified himself as a member of the committee that conducted the primary, gave a different account of the results. He claimed that Uzodinma won with 230,464 votes, while Okorocha scored 1,098 votes.
Ajokperiniovo stated that the results were recorded and collated from the wards through the local government areas before being forwarded to the senatorial district returning officer for final collation and declaration. He also maintained that the exercise substantially complied with the APC constitution, the party’s electoral guidelines and the Electoral Act, 2026. According to him, the party’s appeal committee did not receive any petition challenging the outcome.
INEC similarly argued that its officials monitored the primary and reported that Uzodinma obtained the highest number of votes. The commission also said no aspirant lodged a complaint with it over the exercise. The commission’s Assistant Chief Legal Officer, Gyang Dung, who deposed to its counter-affidavit, further denied signing some of the documents Okorocha presented as evidence.
The judgment resolves the immediate legal dispute over the APC’s nomination for Imo West Senatorial District, with the party directed to forward Okorocha’s name to INEC in compliance with the court’s order.
