Mark Aba, Abuja
A Federal High Court in Abuja has declared former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, the lawful winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for Imo West Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The court consequently ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to replace the name of the incumbent governor, Hope Uzodimma, with that of Okorocha as the APC’s senatorial candidate for the district.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu, in his judgment, also restrained Uzodimma from parading himself as the party’s candidate for the January 16, 2027 election, holding that he did not win the primary conducted on May 18, 2026.
The judge directed the APC to forward Okorocha’s name to INEC, declaring that the former governor emerged victorious in the primary monitored by officials of the electoral commission.
Justice Egwuatu held that Uzodimma’s nomination violated Sections 29 and 32 of the Electoral Act and failed to comply with the APC’s guidelines for conducting primary elections.
He consequently ruled that the party acted unlawfully by submitting Uzodimma’s name to INEC as the winner of an election he did not win.
The judge declared, “That the publication of Hope Uzodimma’s name by INEC as the winner of the primary election is wrongful and unlawful.”
He further ordered: “That the INEC publication of the name of Hope Uzodimma on August 1 as APC Senatorial candidate for Imo West is hereby set aside and in its place, INEC is ordered to restore the name of Rochas Okorocha.”
Justice Egwuatu also faulted INEC for accepting Uzodimma’s nomination despite what he described as overwhelming documentary evidence indicating that the governor was not the lawful winner of the primary.
“Rochas Okorocha is the lawful winner and is entitled to have his name submitted to INEC,” the judge declared.
He maintained that INEC was bound to take cognisance of the report prepared by its officials, which, according to him, established that Okorocha won the May 18 primary.
In examining the evidence presented before the court, Justice Egwuatu questioned the authenticity and consistency of documents submitted by the APC to justify Uzodimma’s nomination.
He observed that several documents tendered by the party contradicted one another, raising doubts about their credibility.
“Majority of the documents tendered by APC to support the purported nomination of Uzodimma (3rd respondent) contradicts each other indicating that they were clearly fabricated for the unlawful purpose of nominating the 3rd respondent as candidate.
“In view of the doubt cast on the authenticity of the documents, the court cannot ascribe probative value to the purported documents,” he said.
The judge explained that documents signed, certified and released to Okorocha following a formal request showed that the former governor secured the majority of lawful votes cast across the 10 local government areas that make up the senatorial district.
He also identified inconsistencies in the accounts provided by different APC officials regarding the conduct of the primary.
According to the judge, one document submitted by the party indicated that Option A4 was used for the exercise, while another document from a member of the party’s National Working Committee claimed that Uzodimma emerged through a consensus arrangement.
A separate document from another NWC member, however, stated that a direct primary was conducted.
Justice Egwuatu described the conflicting accounts as significant, particularly because votes were reportedly allocated to aspirants despite the claim that Uzodimma had emerged through consensus.
The court subsequently ordered the APC to submit Okorocha’s name to INEC and directed the commission to replace Uzodimma’s name with that of the former governor.
The dispute followed conflicting claims over the outcome of the APC primary for Imo West Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Okorocha had challenged Uzodimma’s recognition as the party’s candidate, arguing that the outcome announced in favour of the incumbent governor did not reflect the result of the primary monitored by INEC.
Uzodimma was declared the winner of the exercise and recognised by INEC, which maintained that the official results showed that the governor polled 230,464 votes, while Okorocha secured 1,098 votes.
However, another document subsequently circulated, purporting to show that Okorocha won the primary with 150,780 votes.
The former governor instituted a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, challenging the primary results and INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the party’s candidate.
He asked the court to determine whether the electoral commission was right to recognise Uzodimma as the winner, citing the disputed results and other issues raised in his suit.
The case also raised questions about Okorocha’s eligibility to contest the 2027 senatorial election while serving as governor, with the former governor asking the court to consider the relevant constitutional provisions.
Speaking with journalists after the judgment, Okorocha’s counsel, O.J. Aboje, described the ruling as a vindication of his client, who, he said, had been accused in the media of forging documents relating to the primary.
“Firstly, we’re happy. You recall in the last few weeks my client has been accused in the media that he forged documents, he did this, he did all that. But you have all heard the court.
“Like it’s always said, the court is the last hope for the common man, even though my client is not a common man. He has been vindicated,” Aboje said.
Also speaking, Okorocha’s son and Special Adviser on Political Matters, Amen Rochas, commended the judiciary for what he described as a fair judgment despite alleged attempts to influence the proceedings through fake news.
“I must salute the judiciary. With all this fake news that happened just recently, I’m sure it was to arm twist the judiciary, but they stood firm,” he said.
Amen Rochas also praised his father for remaining focused on President Bola Tinubu’s campaign despite the pressure arising from the dispute.
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