The Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has reaffirmed Governor Hope Uzodimma as its candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general election, despite a Federal High Court judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise former governor Rochas Okorocha as the party’s flagbearer.
The party said Uzodimma secured its ticket through a primary election in which he enjoyed overwhelming support from members, insisting that the court ruling had not altered its position on the candidacy.
The APC’s position was conveyed in a statement issued on Thursday by its state publicity secretary, Jones Onwuasoanya.
“The party wishes to state without any confusion that His Excellency Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma, CON, remains the candidate of our party for Imo West Senatorial District, having won the primaries of our great party with the overwhelming support of the majority of our party members,” Onwuasoanya said.
However, the party acknowledged the court’s intervention, saying its legal department would examine the judgment and take appropriate steps.
“The Party’s legal department shall study the outcome of a legal intervention in this matter and act accordingly,” the statement added.
The APC also appealed to its members and supporters not to be distracted by the development, urging them to remain committed to securing victory for the party across constituencies in Imo State.
The party’s declaration came hours after Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered INEC to delete Uzodimma’s name as the APC candidate for Imo West and restore Okorocha’s name.
In delivering the ruling, the judge held that the evidence before the court showed that Okorocha won the party’s senatorial primary held on May 18.
Egwuatu also criticised INEC’s decision to accept Uzodimma’s nomination, citing what he described as “overwhelming documentary evidence that the governor did not win the primary”.
Okorocha, who served as Imo governor from 2011 to 2019, had approached the court in August to contest INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the APC candidate for the district.
The former governor maintained that the commission should have relied on the reports of its officials who monitored the primary election in determining the rightful winner.
The dispute represents a fresh challenge for the APC as it prepares for the 2027 elections, with the party’s public declaration in support of Uzodimma coming despite the court’s directive in favour of Okorocha.
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