A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to publish the name of former Imo state governor Rochas Okorocha as the All Progressives Congress candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections.
The court also annulled the recognition of Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma as the party’s candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections.
In his judgment, Justice Obiora Egwuatu also barred Uzodimma from presenting himself as the APC senatorial candidate for the January 16, 2027 election, ruling that he did not win the party’s May 18, 2026 primary.
The judge declared that Okorocha was the legitimate winner of the primary, which INEC monitored, and ordered the APC to forward his name to the electoral commission as its candidate.
Justice Egwuatu ruled that Uzodimma’s nomination contravened Sections 29 and 32 of the Electoral Act and did not comply with the APC’s guidelines for conducting primary elections.
He therefore declared that it was unlawful and fraudulent for the party to have sent Uzodimma’s name to INEC as the winner of a primary election he did not win.
The judge held, “That the publication of Hope Uzodimma’s name by INEC as the winner of the primary election is wrongful and unlawful.”
He further ruled, “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 criticized INEC for accepting Uzodimma’s nomination, despite what he called overwhelming documentary evidence showing that the governor was not the legitimate winner of the primary.
He stated, “Rochas Okorocha is the lawful winner and is entitled to have his name submitted to INEC.”
The judge ruled that INEC was bound by the report of its own officials, which, he said, clearly established that Okorocha won the May 18 primary.
While examining the evidence presented before the court, Justice Egwuatu questioned the authenticity and consistency of the documents the APC submitted to justify Uzodimma’s nomination.
He said, “The majority of the documents tendered by APC to support the purported nomination of Uzodimma (3rd respondent) contradict each other, indicating that they were clearly fabricated for the unlawful purpose of nominating the 3rd respondent as a candidate.
“In view of the doubt cast on the authenticity of the documents, the court cannot ascribe probative value to the purported documents.”
The judge stated that documents signed, certified, and released to Okorocha after a formal request demonstrated that the former governor won the majority of lawful votes cast in the primary across the 10 local government areas that comprise the senatorial district.
He pointed out inconsistencies in the accounts provided by various APC officials concerning how the primary was carried out.
The judge noted that one document submitted by the party suggested Option A4 was used for the exercise, whereas another document from a member of the party’s National Working Committee asserted that a consensus arrangement produced Uzodimma as the candidate.
Justice Egwuatu stated that yet another document from a different NWC member claimed a direct primary was held for the same election.
He characterized the conflicting accounts as significant, especially since votes were reportedly allocated to the aspirants despite the assertion that Uzodimma emerged through consensus.
The judge then ordered the APC to forward Okorocha’s name to INEC and directed the commission to substitute the former governor’s name for Uzodimma’s.
The dispute stemmed from conflicting claims about the outcome of the APC primary for the Imo West Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Okorocha contested Uzodimma’s recognition as the party’s candidate, contending that the result announced in favor of the incumbent governor did not reflect the outcome of the primary monitored by INEC.
Uzodimma was declared the primary’s winner and recognized by INEC, which insisted that the official results showed the governor polled 230,464 votes while Okorocha received 1,098 votes.
However, a separate document later circulated that purported to show Okorocha won the primary with 150,780 votes.
Okorocha filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, challenging the primary’s outcome and INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the party’s candidate.
The former governor asked the court to determine whether the commission was right to recognize Uzodimma as the winner, based on the disputed primary results and other issues raised in his suit.
The suit also raised questions about Uzodimma’s eligibility to contest the 2027 senatorial election while serving as governor, with Okorocha 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, whom he noted had been accused in the media of forging the results.
“Firstly, we’re happy. You recall that in the last few weeks my client has been accused in the media of forging 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.
In the meantime, Okorocha’s son, Amen Rochas, who also serves as his (Okorocha’s) Special Adviser on Political
Matters, praised the judiciary for its fair judgment, notwithstanding what he claimed were efforts to manipulate the courts 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.
He further praised his father for staying focused on President Bola Tinubu’s campaign in spite of the immense pressure stemming from the dispute.
