Imo state governor Hope Uzodimma, has gone to the Appeal Court to challenge the Federal High Court judgment that nullified his nomination and declared former governor Rochas Okorocha as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Imo West senatorial district in the January 16, 2027 election.
By Emma Ogbuehi
Imo state governor Hope Uzodimma, has gone to the Appeal Court to challenge the Federal High Court judgment that nullified his nomination and declared former governor Rochas Okorocha as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Imo West senatorial district in the January 16, 2027 election.
The move comes as the Imo State chapter of the APC insisted that Uzodimma remained its duly nominated candidate despite the judgment. Okorocha’s camp, on the other hand, celebrated the ruling as a victory for the judiciary, constitutional democracy and the people of Imo State.
The conflicting positions followed Wednesday’s judgment by Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which nullified Uzodimma’s recognition as the APC candidate, declared Okorocha winner of the party’s May 18, 2026 primary election and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to replace the governor’s name with that of the former governor.
The ruling sparked jubilation among Okorocha’s supporters in parts of Imo State, particularly the Imo West Senatorial District, even as Uzodimma’s camp rejected the decision as a travesty of justice and announced plans to challenge it at the Court of Appeal.
Commissioner for Information, Declan Emelumba, said the governor’s camp would explore available judicial remedies to overturn the judgment, accusing the trial judge of disregarding established Supreme Court decisions governing pre-election disputes.
Emelumba argued that the Federal High Court ought not to have entertained Okorocha’s suit because it involved disputed allegations of forgery and perjury, which, according to him, could not properly be determined through originating summons and affidavit evidence.
He alleged that Justice Egwuatu was presented with Supreme Court judgments establishing the procedure for resolving such disputes but failed to apply them, instead delivering judgment in favour of Okorocha on the strength of affidavit evidence which he claimed was founded on forged documents.
The commissioner also challenged the competence of the suit, maintaining that it was filed outside the constitutionally prescribed period for instituting pre-election cases.
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Citing the Supreme Court decision in Orji v. Chima, Emelumba argued that an aspirant seeking judicial declaration as winner of a party primary must institute proceedings within 14 days of the event giving rise to the complaint.
He pointed out that the disputed primary was conducted on May 18, 2026, while Okorocha instituted his action on August 13, 2026, a period of 87 days.
According to him, having identified the central issue as the determination of the winner of the May 18 primary, the trial judge ought to have upheld the preliminary objection rather than proceed to determine the substantive suit.
“As law-abiding citizens, we would explore the judicial avenues available to set aside the Federal High Court ruling and recover our mandate,” Emelumba declared.
Similarly, the state Publicity Secretary of the APC, Onwuasoanya FCC Jones, maintained that the judgment had not changed the party’s position on its candidate for the senatorial election.
“The Party wishes to state without any confusion that His Excellency Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma, CON, remains the candidate of our Party for Imo West Senatorial District, having won the primaries of our great Party with the overwhelming support of the majority of our Party members,” Jones declared in a statement issued in Owerri.
He said the party’s legal department would study the judgment and determine the appropriate response.
“The Party’s legal department shall study the outcome of a legal intervention in this matter and act accordingly,” he said.
Jones urged party members and supporters not to allow the dispute to distract them from preparations for the general election.
“We urge our teeming Party members and supporters of our great Party to remain focused and undistracted and remain committed to working assiduously for the victory of our Party across all constituencies in the State.”
On the other hand, Okorocha’s Special Adviser on Media, Sam Onwuemeodo, welcomed the judgment, saying the court had settled the controversy over who won the APC senatorial primary.
“The Court granted Okorocha all the reliefs he had sought for. And declared him the authentic candidate of APC for Imo West Senatorial District, and equally ordered INEC to enlist Okorocha’s name, to that effect,” he said.
Onwuemeodo expressed appreciation for the celebrations that followed the judgment, describing them as an indication of the support enjoyed by the former governor.
“On our side, we appreciate the spontaneous and unprecedented jubilation in Imo, especially in Imo West Senatorial District, over this historic judgement. We won’t take these jubilation and excitement for granted.”
He described the decision as a victory for the judiciary, constitutional democracy and the people of Imo State.
“This judgement, to say the least, is a resounding victory for the nation’s judiciary. It’s a victory for the nation’s fast growing Democracy. It is an outstanding victory for the Nation’s Constitution, as amended. It is a remarkable victory for all lovers of what is right and haters of what is wrong. It is a notable victory for posterity and history. Finally, it is a victory for Imo people in general, and Imo West Senatorial District people in particular.”
Onwuemeodo recalled that Okorocha approached the court to challenge the outcome of the APC primary and also sought a determination on whether Uzodimma could constitutionally contest the 2027 senatorial election while serving a governorship tenure scheduled to expire in January 2028.
According to the former governor’s aide, the court also resolved that question against Uzodimma, holding that it was wrong for the governor to contest another paid elective office while his current tenure was still running.
He thanked President Bola Tinubu for what he described as providing an enabling environment for the judiciary and other institutions to discharge their responsibilities.
“We thank the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for providing the enabling environment for the Judiciary and other institutions to function for the nation’s rapid development and growth,” he said.
Onwuemeodo also expressed gratitude to the APC leadership for allowing members to pursue their constitutional rights, while thanking the people of Imo State, particularly those in Imo West, for their prayers and support.
He commended Uzodimma for participating in the proceedings as one of the respondents and gave thanks to God for the outcome.
The judgment arose from suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, in which Okorocha challenged the outcome of the May 18 APC primary and INEC’s subsequent recognition of Uzodimma as the party’s candidate.
In his judgment, Justice Egwuatu held that the evidence before the court established that Okorocha secured the majority of lawful votes cast during the primary and was entitled to the APC ticket.
The judge consequently nullified Uzodimma’s recognition as the party’s candidate, restrained him from presenting himself as the APC candidate for the senatorial election and directed INEC to replace his name with that of Okorocha.
Justice Egwuatu held that Uzodimma’s nomination violated Sections 29 and 32 of the Electoral Act and failed to comply with the APC guidelines for conducting primaries.
“The publication of Hope Uzodimma’s name by INEC as the winner of the primary election is wrongful and unlawful.
“Rochas Okorocha is the lawful winner and is entitled to have his name submitted to INEC,” the judge held.
In arriving at his decision, Justice Egwuatu questioned the authenticity and consistency of documents tendered by the APC to justify Uzodimma’s nomination, observing that several contained contradictory accounts of how the primary was conducted.
“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,” he said.
He noted that while one document indicated that the party adopted Option A4, another, attributed to a member of the APC National Working Committee, claimed that Uzodimma emerged through consensus, while a third maintained that a direct primary was conducted.
The judge described the contradictions as significant, particularly because votes were reportedly allocated to aspirants despite claims that Uzodimma emerged through a consensus arrangement.
By contrast, the court found that documents signed, certified and released to Okorocha following a formal request indicated that he secured the majority of lawful votes cast across the 10 local government areas of the senatorial district.
The disputed primary had produced conflicting results, with figures initially relied upon for Uzodimma’s recognition indicating that he polled 230,464 votes against Okorocha’s 1,098, while a separate document relied upon by the former governor indicated that he secured 150,780 votes.
The judge also faulted INEC for accepting Uzodimma’s nomination despite documentary evidence which, according to the court, established that Okorocha won the primary.
Speaking with journalists after the judgment, Okorocha’s counsel, O.J. Aboje, welcomed the decision, saying it had vindicated his client against allegations that he relied on forged election results.
“You have all heard the court,” Aboje said. “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.”
Okorocha’s son and Special Adviser on Political Matters, Amen Rochas, also commended the judiciary for the judgment, accusing unnamed interests of attempting to influence public perception of the proceedings through allegations of forged documents.
The Federal High Court ruling has thus left the APC facing conflicting claims over its Imo West senatorial ticket, with Okorocha relying on the judgment recognising him as the party’s candidate, while the state leadership maintains its support for Uzodimma and the governor’s camp prepares to challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal.
