The battle for the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial ticket in Imo West has entered a critical stage as Governor Hope Uzodinma and former Imo State Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha, remain locked in a legal contest over who should represent the party in the 2027 senatorial election.
The dispute has attracted considerable political attention in Imo State and beyond, with the Federal High Court in Abuja scheduled to deliver judgment in a suit filed by Okorocha challenging the nomination and publication of Uzodinma as the APC candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, was instituted by Okorocha against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the APC and Governor Hope Uzodinma.
Okorocha is asking the court to invalidate INEC’s publication of Uzodinma as the APC candidate and recognise him as the legitimate candidate of the party for the 2027 election.
The controversy centres on the APC senatorial primary conducted on May 18, 2026.
Okorocha has maintained that he won the primary, alleging that he secured 150,780 votes, while Uzodinma scored 102,158 votes.
Based on that claim, the former governor argues that he, rather than Uzodinma, should have been presented to INEC as the APC’s candidate for Imo West.
However, the APC’s declared result presented a different outcome, with Uzodinma recognised as the winner. INEC subsequently published his name as the party’s candidate.
That development prompted Okorocha to approach the Federal High Court, asking the judiciary to determine which result and nomination process should be recognised under the law.
Beyond the disputed primary election result, Okorocha’s legal challenge also raises a constitutional question concerning Uzodinma’s status as a sitting governor.
The former governor argues that Uzodinma’s second term in office runs until January 2028, while the next Senate is expected to be inaugurated in 2027.
Okorocha therefore asked the court to determine whether Uzodinma could validly contest and be nominated for the Senate while still serving as governor.
He relied, among other provisions, on Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, in presenting his argument before the court. :
Among the reliefs sought by the former governor is an order setting aside INEC’s publication of Uzodinma’s name as the APC candidate.
He is also asking the court to direct INEC to recognise and publish his name as the duly nominated APC candidate for Imo West.
Okorocha further wants an order restraining Uzodinma, the APC or anyone acting on their behalf from presenting the governor as the party’s candidate for the senatorial election.
The legal battle has taken another turn following INEC’s recent response to controversy surrounding documents allegedly showing Okorocha as the winner of the APC primary.
In October, INEC petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force over what it described as a fictitious APC primary result document* circulating on social media.
According to INEC, its authentic report of the May 18 primary identified Hope Odidika Uzodinma as the winner and duly elected APC candidate for Imo West, while the disputed document circulating online allegedly named Okorocha as the winner.
The electoral commission asked security agencies to investigate the circumstances surrounding the circulation of the disputed document.
The Federal High Court subsequently fixed October 29, 2026, for judgment after lawyers representing the parties adopted their legal arguments and processes before the court.
The judgment is expected to provide significant clarity on the disputed APC ticket and could have major implications for the political contest in Imo West ahead of the 2027 general elections.
If the court rules in Okorocha’s favour, the APC’s existing arrangement could face a major shake-up, potentially requiring INEC to review the candidate published for the senatorial district.
If the court upholds Uzodinma’s nomination, however, the governor’s candidacy would receive significant legal backing and the APC would be positioned to proceed with him as its candidate, subject to any further appeal.
The dispute goes beyond a conventional intra-party disagreement. Both Uzodinma and Okorocha are former and current political heavyweights in Imo State, and the outcome could reshape the political equation surrounding the Imo West Senatorial District.
Okorocha governed Imo State from 2011 to 2019 and later represented Imo West in the Senate from 2019 to 2023. Uzodinma, meanwhile, is the incumbent governor and a major figure within the APC’s political structure in the state.
With the 2027 elections approaching, the struggle over the Imo West ticket has therefore become one of the most closely watched political and legal battles in the state.
For now, claims circulating that the Federal High Court has already sacked Governor Hope Uzodinma as the APC’s 2027 Imo West senatorial candidate and ordered INEC to immediately replace him with Rochas Okorocha should be treated with caution until the court’s certified judgment or an authoritative court report confirms the outcome.*
9NEWS NIGERIA will continue to monitor the proceedings and provide updates as the court’s decision becomes officially available.
