Former Imo State Governor and Senator representing Imo West, Rochas Okorocha, has taken legal action against the Independent National Electoral Commission over the publication of Governor Hope Uzodimma as the All Progressives Congress candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general election.
In the suit, Okorocha is challenging INEC’s recognition and publication of Uzodimma’s name, arguing that the electoral body ought to have relied on reports from its officials who monitored the APC senatorial primary.
Okorocha is asking the court to determine whether INEC acted lawfully in publishing Uzodimma as the party’s candidate, particularly in light of constitutional provisions governing the eligibility of a sitting governor to contest for another elective office.
He is also seeking an order voiding INEC’s publication of Uzodimma’s name and directing the commission to recognise and publish his own name as the APC’s duly nominated candidate for Imo West.
Okorocha further wants the court to restrain Uzodimma, the APC or their representatives from presenting the governor as the party’s senatorial candidate pending the determination of the dispute.
The former governor’s challenge centres on his claim that he emerged victorious from the APC primary held on May 18. However, this claim conflicts with the result publicly announced by the APC’s primary election committee and reported by several Nigerian media organisations.
The announced result showed Uzodimma polling 230,464 votes to defeat Okorocha, who received 1,098 votes. The primary was conducted across the 12 local government areas that make up Imo West Senatorial District.
The legal challenge therefore puts the internal outcome of the APC primary and INEC’s subsequent recognition of Uzodimma at the centre of a fresh political battle ahead of the 2027 elections.
In court documents, Okorocha also contends that Uzodimma’s tenure as governor will run until January 2028 and raises questions about his eligibility to seek the Senate seat before completing his second term.
Uzodimma previously represented Imo West in the Senate from 2011 to 2019 before becoming governor of Imo State. His move to seek the senatorial seat follows his second-term victory as governor, with his tenure expected to end in January 2028.
The suit could further deepen the political contest surrounding the influential Imo West seat, which has previously been represented by both Okorocha and Uzodimma.
The court will now determine whether the reliefs sought by Okorocha have legal merit and whether INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the APC candidate should stand.
