Former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to remove Governor Hope Uzodimma as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Imo West senatorial district in the 2027 election.
Okorocha is challenging the nomination and publication of Uzodimma’s name by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), arguing that he was the actual winner of the APC senatorial primary conducted in May.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, was filed on August 13 by Okorocha’s counsel, O.J. Aboje. INEC, Uzodimma and the APC are listed as respondents.
Okorocha is asking the court to determine which aspirant was validly nominated by the APC to contest the Imo West senatorial election.
The former governor said the party conducted a direct primary on May 18 to select its candidate for the 2027 election.
According to an affidavit supporting the suit, Okorocha allegedly secured 150,780 votes, while Uzodimma scored 102,158 votes.
The affidavit was deposed to by Amen Rochas, Okorocha’s son.
However, the APC’s 2026 Imo National Assembly Primary Election Committee declared Uzodimma the winner.
Williams Kayode, the chairman and returning officer of the committee, reportedly announced Uzodimma as the winner with 230,464 votes.
The conflicting accounts of the primary result are now at the centre of Okorocha’s legal challenge.
Okorocha is asking the court to declare the publication of Uzodimma’s name as the APC candidate unconstitutional and void.
He argues that Uzodimma did not emerge as the winner of the primary election and should therefore not have been presented as the party’s candidate.
The former governor is also seeking an order directing INEC to recognise and publish his name as the APC’s duly nominated candidate for the Imo West senatorial district.
In addition, Okorocha wants 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 election.
Okorocha’s legal challenge also raises questions about Uzodimma’s eligibility to contest for the Senate while serving as governor.
He is relying on Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution, which provides that a serving governor shall not hold another executive office or paid employment in the service of the Federation or any state.
Uzodimma began his second term as governor of Imo State in January 2024, meaning his tenure is expected to run until January 2028.
However, the 11th Senate is scheduled to be inaugurated in June 2027.
The timing has raised questions over the relationship between Uzodimma’s existing tenure as governor and a possible Senate term should he win the election.
The court will therefore be expected to consider the legal arguments raised in the suit and determine whether the governor can validly remain the APC’s candidate for the senatorial election.
The dispute involves two prominent figures in Imo State politics.
Okorocha served as governor of Imo State from 2011 to 2019 before representing Imo West in the Senate between 2019 and 2023.
Uzodimma, meanwhile, has served as governor since 2020 and secured a second term in the 2023 governorship election.
The two politicians faced each other in the APC primary for the Imo West senatorial ticket.
While the APC’s official declaration recognised Uzodimma as the winner, Okorocha’s court action is based on his claim that the actual result of the primary was different.
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The Federal High Court will now have to consider the competing claims surrounding the May 18 primary and the subsequent publication of Uzodimma’s name by INEC.
A major issue before the court will be whether INEC was bound by the reports submitted by its officials who monitored the primary.
The court will also consider Okorocha’s claim that he won the primary and whether the constitutional argument concerning Uzodimma’s status as a sitting governor affects his nomination.
If Okorocha succeeds, the court could order INEC to recognise and publish his name as the APC candidate for Imo West.
Such a ruling would significantly alter the APC’s preparations for the 2027 senatorial election in the district.
For now, the dispute remains before the court, and the final determination will establish which aspirant is legally entitled to represent the APC in the Imo West senatorial contest.
The case is expected to attract considerable attention as political parties and aspirants intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections.
