ABUJA — A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has delivered a landmark judgment nullifying the nomination of Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, as the senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Imo West Senatorial District.
In the judgment delivered by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, the court ruled decisively that Governor Uzodinma was not the valid winner of the ruling party’s primary election for the district and ordered him to immediately cease parading himself as the candidate.
Inside the Court’s Ruling and Primary Disputation
The legal battle stems from intense intra-party disputes surrounding the APC primary elections. Former Imo State Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha, had approached the court via suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, challenging the recognition of Governor Uzodinma by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Okorocha’s legal team argued that the direct primary election for Imo West was duly conducted on May 18, and that compelling evidence proved Okorocha won the majority of the lawful votes cast. According to the election results tendered and verified during proceedings, Okorocha polled a total of 150,780 votes, comfortably defeating Governor Uzodinma, who registered 102,158 votes.
Furthermore, the suit brought forward vital constitutional questions regarding eligibility, questioning whether a sitting governor actively serving out an executive tenure could concurrently secure and run on a major legislative ticket under provisions such as Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Weighing the merits, Justice Egwuatu held that the plaintiff successfully established that the primary election monitored by INEC clearly favored Okorocha. The court ruled that the party structure erred in substituting or subverting the actual outcome of that democratic exercise.
Consequently, Justice Egwuatu ordered the APC to immediately forward Senator Rochas Okorocha’s name to INEC as its authentic candidate, while issuing a stern, perpetual bar preventing Governor Uzodinma from presenting himself as the flagbearer for the Imo West district.
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