The Federal High Court in Abuja has reportedly ruled in favour of former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha in a dispute over the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial ticket for Imo West ahead of the 2027 general election.
The reported decision directs the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise and publish Okorocha’s name as the party’s candidate for the district, in place of incumbent Governor Hope Uzodimma, who was previously declared winner of the party’s senatorial primary.
The judgment, attributed to Justice Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, followed a legal challenge instituted by Okorocha after the APC conducted its National Assembly primary on May 18, 2026.
The former governor had contested the outcome of the exercise, arguing that the electoral commission was required to take into account the reports submitted by its officials who monitored the primary.
In the suit, numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, Okorocha listed INEC, Uzodimma and the APC as defendants. He filed the case on August 13, 2026, through his lawyer, O.J. Aboje.
A major issue raised in the case concerned whether Uzodimma could lawfully contest for a Senate seat while still serving as governor of Imo State. His current tenure is expected to end in January 2028, while the 11th National Assembly is scheduled to commence in June 2027.
Okorocha relied on Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution, which restricts a sitting governor from holding another executive office or engaging in paid employment during his tenure.
The former governor consequently asked the court to invalidate INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the APC candidate and compel the commission to publish his own name. He also sought an order preventing the governor, the party or their representatives from presenting Uzodimma as its senatorial flagbearer.
However, the two camps presented sharply different accounts of the primary election results.
An affidavit filed in support of Okorocha’s case by his son, Amen Rochas, claimed that the former governor secured 150,780 votes against Uzodimma’s 102,158.
In contrast, Williams Kayode, chairman and returning officer of the APC’s 2026 Imo National Assembly Primary Election Committee, had declared Uzodimma the winner with 230,464 votes, according to the report.
The reported court decision could reshape the APC’s political calculations in Imo West and intensify competition within the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
Uzodimma, who began his second term as Imo State governor in January 2024, is expected to remain in office until January 2028.
Note: The detailed judgment and the court’s specific findings were not included in the source report. The ruling and its precise terms should therefore be independently verified against the official court record before publication.
