The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has invalidated the nomination of Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, as the senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Imo West (Orlu) Senatorial District.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, October 29, 2026, presiding judge Justice Inyang Ekwo set aside the primary election results submitted by the party executive and declared former Imo State Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha, as the authentic winner of the primary election.
The court directed the APC to immediately forward Okorocha’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its official candidate for the district and restrained Governor Uzodimma from parading himself as the party's flagbearer.
Delivering the judgment, the court held that documentary evidence and certified primary election returns proved Okorocha scored the highest number of valid votes cast during the APC direct primary exercise.
Key orders issued by the Federal High Court include:
Invalidation of Submission: The court set aside the decision of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) substituting Okorocha’s name with that of Governor Uzodimma.
Mandatory Directive to APC: The party was ordered to transmit Okorocha's nomination credentials to INEC without delay.
Injunction Against INEC: The court restrained INEC from recognizing, publishing, or accepting Governor Uzodimma as the candidate for the Imo West Senatorial seat.
The legal tussle stems from parallel claims over the outcome of the APC senatorial primaries held in Imo West. The suit, initially instituted by Okorocha's legal team, challenged the substitution of primary results by party leadership, alleging that the party violated both its internal constitution and the provisions of the Electoral Act regarding primary candidate submissions.
The court order deepens the long-standing political rivalry between Governor Uzodimma and former Governor Okorocha within the Imo State APC structure. While legal counsel representing Governor Uzodimma and the APC signaled intentions to file an immediate notice of appeal and seek a stay of execution at the Court of Appeal, Okorocha's supporters in Orlu celebrated the verdict as a victory for internal party democracy.
INEC officials in Abuja confirmed that the commission would review the formal certified true copy (CTC) of the judgment once served before updating its official candidate publications.