The Federal High Court in Abuja has reportedly declared former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general election, directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish his name.
The reported judgment, delivered by Justice Egwuatu of Court 11 of the Federal High Court, followed a suit filed by Okorocha challenging the recognition of Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma as the APC candidate for the senatorial district.
However, the full details of the judgment, including the court’s specific findings, legal reasoning and final orders, were not provided in the statement announcing the decision.
Okorocha had approached the court after the APC conducted its senatorial primary election on May 18, 2026, challenging the declaration of Uzodimma as the winner of the contest.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, listed INEC, Uzodimma and the APC as respondents.
The former governor filed the originating summons on August 13, 2026, through his counsel, O.J. Aboje, asking the court to determine whether INEC was bound by the reports of its officials who monitored the APC primary election and whether the commission acted lawfully by publishing Uzodimma’s name as the party’s candidate.
In his legal challenge, Okorocha questioned the eligibility of Uzodimma to contest the senatorial election while still serving as governor of Imo State.
He argued that Uzodimma’s tenure as governor would not expire until January 2028, whereas the 11th National Assembly was scheduled to be inaugurated in June 2027.
Okorocha relied on Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution, which provides that a sitting governor cannot hold another executive office or paid employment while in office.
On that basis, the former governor asked the court to declare the publication of Uzodimma’s name as the APC candidate wrongful and unconstitutional.
He also sought an order setting aside the publication and directing INEC to recognise and publish his name as the party’s duly nominated candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District election.
Additionally, Okorocha asked the court to restrain Uzodimma, the APC and anyone acting on their behalf from presenting the governor as the party’s candidate for the 2027 senatorial election.
In an affidavit attached to the suit, Amen Rochas, the former governor’s son, alleged that Okorocha won the APC senatorial primary conducted on May 18, 2026, with 150,780 votes, while Uzodimma scored 102,158 votes.
However, 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 on the dispute.
The conflicting figures and competing claims over the outcome of the primary formed part of the dispute that Okorocha brought before the court.
The reported ruling could have significant political implications for the APC in Imo State as the party prepares for the 2027 general election, particularly in the contest for the Imo West Senatorial District.
Uzodimma was sworn in for his second term as governor in January 2024, with his tenure expected to end in January 2028.
The reported decision, if confirmed by the full judgment and its operative orders, could reshape the APC’s senatorial contest in Imo West and intensify political tensions within the party ahead of the 2027 polls.