A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma to stop parading himself as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District election scheduled for January 16, 2027, declaring former governor Rochas Okorocha the winner of the party’s primary election.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu issued the order on Thursday after ruling that Uzodinma did not win the APC primary conducted on May 18, 2026, which was monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The court held that evidence presented before it established that Okorocha secured the majority of votes cast during the primary and was therefore entitled to be recognised as the party’s candidate for the senatorial election.
Justice Egwuatu consequently directed the APC to submit Okorocha’s name to INEC as its candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District seat in the 2027 general elections.
The ruling represents a major setback for Uzodinma’s bid to represent the district in the Senate, while handing Okorocha a legal victory in the contest over the APC ticket.
The Imo West senatorial contest is one of the political battles ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the court’s decision now placing the party’s candidate selection process at the centre of the dispute.
