By John Attah
The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the emergence of Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Imo West Senatorial election scheduled for January 16, 2027.
The court, in a judgment delivered on Thursday by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, held that evidence before it established that Uzodinma was not the valid winner of the APC senatorial primary conducted in the district on May 18 and monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Instead, the court held that former governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha, secured the highest number of votes cast at the primary election and ought to have been nominated by the party.
Consequently, Justice Egwuatu ordered INEC to forthwith recognise Okorocha and publish his name as the authentic APC candidate for the forthcoming Imo West senatorial election.
The court also issued an order restraining Uzodinma from presenting himself as the APC candidate for the election.
The ruling settles the immediate dispute before the court over the outcome of the party’s primary election, with Okorocha emerging as the candidate the electoral commission has been directed to recognise for the senatorial contest.
By nullifying Uzodinma’s candidacy and ordering INEC to publish Okorocha’s name, the court’s decision has altered the APC’s candidate position for the Imo West senatorial seat ahead of the January 2027 poll.
The judgment was delivered as political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the court’s orders placing INEC at the centre of the next steps in implementing the decision.
