Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, has paid a congratulatory visit to former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha following a Federal High Court judgment recognising him as the party’s candidate for Imo West Senatorial District.
Ganduje reportedly expressed excitement over the judgment, which nullified Governor Hope Uzodinma’s emergence as the APC’s senatorial candidate and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish Okorocha’s name.
The judgment was delivered on Thursday, October 29, 2026, by Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The court held that evidence before it established that Okorocha won the APC senatorial primary conducted on May 18, 2026, contrary to the party’s recognition of Uzodinma as its candidate.
Justice Egwuatu consequently ordered the APC to forward Okorocha’s name to INEC and restrained Uzodimma from continuing to present himself as the party’s candidate for the January 16, 2027 senatorial election.
The ruling represents a major development in the political contest between the two Imo politicians, whose relationship has been marked by tensions.
Okorocha governed Imo State from 2011 to 2019 and subsequently represented Imo West in the Senate from 2019 to 2023.
Uzodinma, who is serving his second term as governor, is seeking to represent the senatorial district in the next National Assembly.
However, the Imo State chapter of the APC has rejected the judgment, insisting that Uzodimma remains its authentic candidate and indicating that it would study the ruling and pursue available legal remedies.
The legal dispute is therefore likely to remain a significant issue within the APC in Imo State.
