A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu also ordered Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma to immediately stop presenting himself as the APC candidate for the senatorial election scheduled for January 16, 2027.
The judge issued the orders on Thursday after ruling that Uzodinma did not win the party’s primary conducted on May 18, 2026, which was monitored by INEC.
Delivering judgment, Egwuatu held that the evidence presented before the court established that Okorocha secured the majority of votes cast in the primary and was entitled to be recognised as the winner.
The court consequently directed the APC to forward Okorocha’s name to INEC as its candidate for the Imo West senatorial election and ordered the electoral commission to publish his name.
The decision follows months of legal dispute over the APC ticket for the senatorial district, with both politicians laying claim to the party’s nomination.
Dispute over APC primary results
Okorocha instituted the suit against INEC, the APC and Uzodinma after the electoral commission recognised the sitting governor as the party’s candidate for Imo West.
In the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, the former governor challenged the publication of Uzodinma’s name and asked the court to recognise him as the duly nominated candidate.
The dispute centres on the outcome of the APC’s May 18 primary. While the result publicly announced by the party reportedly favoured Uzodinma, Okorocha maintained that he had won the contest.
Before judgment, Uzodinma and the APC challenged the suit on procedural grounds, arguing that it was filed outside the 14-day time limit for pre-election cases.
The court’s reported decision has now directed the party and INEC to recognise Okorocha as the nominee. The full written judgment would provide further details on the court’s treatment of the parties’ legal arguments.
Separate allegations over primary documents
The dispute has also unfolded alongside a separate criminal case involving allegations that documents purporting to show Okorocha as the winner of the primary were forged.
Earlier in October, reports said a magistrate’s court had issued a bench warrant for Okorocha and three other people over allegations including forgery and the use of false documents.
INEC was also reported to have disputed the authenticity of a document circulating as the primary result and called for an investigation.
Those allegations are separate from the Federal High Court judgment on the APC nomination dispute and should not be treated as proof of criminal guilt.
The relationship between the two proceedings, including any effect they may have on subsequent legal steps, will require clarification from the relevant court records and parties.
Implications for the 2027 election
The ruling is a significant development in the contest for the APC ticket in Imo West ahead of the 2027 National Assembly elections.
By directing the party to submit Okorocha’s name and INEC to publish it, the court has ordered a change in the recognition of the party’s candidate for the senatorial district.
However, the decision concerns the party’s nomination process and does not mean Okorocha has won the senatorial election itself.
Further developments may depend on the implementation of the court’s orders and any subsequent legal applications by the parties involved.
