Court disqualifies Uzodinma as APC senatorial candidate, orders Okorocha as replacement

The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the emergence of Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District.

The presiding judge ruled that Uzodinma’s candidacy violated electoral guidelines and internal party regulations. Consequently, the court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately remove Uzodinma’s name and publish former Imo State Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha, as the validly nominated APC candidate for the senatorial seat.

Legal analysts note that the ruling marks a dramatic escalation in the fierce political rivalry between two of Imo State’s most influential political figures, whose longstanding feud over party control has repeatedly spilled into the courts.

The legal battle and Okorocha’s petition

The legal challenge was spearheaded by Okorocha, who represented Imo West in the Senate prior to the current legislative session. Okorocha approached the court arguing that he won the validly conducted APC primary election for the district held on May 18, which was duly monitored by electoral officials, and that his mandate had been unlawfully subverted.

Part of the argument is the legality of Uzodinma’s candidature whose governorship tenure expires by January 2028, more than six months after the 11^th senate would have been sworn in.

In its judgment, the court agreed with the plaintiff, holding that party primary rules and statutory timeframes were flouted in substituting Okorocha’s name with that of the sitting governor.

Reacting to the judgment, a legal representative for the Okorocha camp hailed the verdict as a triumph for internal party democracy and rule of law.

“The court has reaffirmed that primary elections conducted in accordance with party guidelines and monitored by INEC cannot be arbitrarily discarded,” counsel for the applicant stated outside the courtroom. “The law is clear, and the judiciary has restored the mandate won at the primaries.”

The ruling delivers a stinging political blow to Governor Uzodinma, who leads the ruling party structure in Imo State and serves as a prominent voice within the Progressive Governors’ Forum.

Political commentators in Owerri suggest the judgment will inject fresh volatility into the state’s political landscape, potentially triggering emergency stakeholder meetings within the national secretariat of the APC as party leadership weighs options for an appeal.