Abuja, FCT — A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma to stop presenting himself as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 elections, ruling that former governor Rochas Okorocha won the party’s primary election.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu issued the order on Thursday, October 29, 2026/.
The order follows a legal challenge to the recognition of Uzodimma as the APC’s candidate for the senatorial district, also known as Orlu Zone.
The court held that evidence before it showed that Okorocha secured the majority of votes cast in the APC primary conducted on May 18, 2026.
It, therefore, directed the party to forward his name as its candidate for the election scheduled for January 16, 2027.
The judge ordered Uzodimma to stop presenting himself as the party’s candidate and held that Okorocha had won the primary.
Court Ruling Challenges Uzodimma’s Candidacy
The judgment represents a significant development in the dispute over the APC senatorial ticket for Imo West.
Okorocha, who governed Imo State from 2011 to 2019 and represented Imo West in the Senate from 2019 to 2023, filed a suit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the APC and Uzodimma.
In the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, the former governor challenged INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the party’s candidate and sought an order directing the commission to recognise and publish his own name.
The dispute centred on the outcome of the APC primary held on May 18 and the results submitted to INEC. The court’s latest ruling favours Okorocha’s position that he won the contest.
According to reports published after the judgment, the court directed the APC to submit Okorocha’s name for the Imo West senatorial election. Some reports also state that INEC was ordered to publish his name.
INEC Had Previously Recognised Uzodimma
The judgment follows an earlier dispute over the authenticity of documents relating to the APC primary.
In August 2026, Okorocha approached the Federal High Court after INEC published Uzodimma as the APC candidate for Imo West.
At the time, reports said the party’s submitted result declared Uzodimma the winner with 230,464 votes, against 1,098 votes attributed to Okorocha.
The dispute subsequently escalated when INEC petitioned the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) over a document circulating as a primary-election result that purportedly identified Okorocha as the winner.
In October, INEC said the document was allegedly fictitious and maintained that the report it considered authentic identified Uzodimma as the winner.
The commission asked security agencies to investigate the disputed document.
The latest judgment introduces a judicial determination into that dispute. The court’s findings and the precise terms of its orders are important in resolving the competing claims over the party ticket.
What the Ruling Means Ahead of the 2027 Election
The order places Okorocha in a stronger legal position in the contest for the APC nomination, while directing Uzodimma to stop presenting himself as the party’s candidate for the senatorial district.
However, the practical implementation of the judgment will depend on the formal court orders and the actions taken by the APC and INEC in response.
The development also renews attention on the political and legal questions surrounding Uzodimma’s bid for the Senate while serving as governor.
Earlier reports on Okorocha’s suit raised questions about the constitutional restrictions on a sitting governor holding another executive office or paid employment, although the central issue in the present judgment concerns who won the party primary.
As of publication, a full copy of the judgment and any response from Uzodimma, the APC or INEC following the ruling had not been independently reviewed for this report.
This article therefore distinguishes the court’s reported findings from the parties’ earlier competing claims about the primary results.
The dispute is expected to remain consequential for the APC’s preparations for the January 2027 Imo West senatorial election.
