Former Imo State Governor and Senator representing Imo West, Rochas Okorocha, has taken the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Hope Uzodimma to the Federal High Court in Abuja over the APC’s 2027 Imo West senatorial ticket. Okorocha is asking the court to overturn INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma and declare him the rightful APC candidate for the election.
The legal challenge, filed on August 13, 2026, centres on competing claims over the outcome of the APC’s May 18 direct primary and whether INEC acted properly in publishing Uzodimma as the party’s candidate. The case is marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026.
Okorocha wants the court to determine whether INEC should rely on reports submitted by its officials who monitored the APC primary.
According to the affidavit supporting his case, Okorocha maintains that he won the primary and that the commission should not have recognised Uzodimma as the party’s candidate.
His legal challenge also raises Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. Okorocha is asking the court to consider whether Uzodimma can be presented as the APC’s senatorial candidate while remaining governor of Imo State.
Uzodimma is serving his second term as governor and is expected to remain in office until January 2028. He previously represented Imo West in the Senate from 2011 to 2019 before becoming governor.
The former governor has asked the Federal High Court for several orders that could significantly alter the APC’s preparations for the 2027 election.
Among his requests, Okorocha wants the court to:
- Set aside INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the APC’s Imo West candidate.
- Declare that the former governor emerged from the party’s primary.
- Direct INEC to recognise and publish his name as the APC candidate.
- Prevent Uzodimma from presenting himself as the party’s nominee for the senatorial election.
- Award the cost of the action against the respondents.
If granted, the reliefs could force the APC and INEC to reconsider the party’s candidate for one of Imo State’s most politically significant senatorial districts.
One of the most important issues in the case is the conflicting account of the May 18 APC primary.
The result publicly reported immediately after the primary showed Uzodimma defeating Okorocha by a wide margin. Channels Television and Premium Times reported that Uzodimma received 230,464 votes, while Okorocha was credited with 1,098 votes.
However, the affidavit filed in support of Okorocha’s lawsuit presents a markedly different set of figures. It alleges that Okorocha secured 150,780 votes, while Uzodimma received 102,158 votes.
That discrepancy is central to the dispute because Okorocha’s case depends on the claim that he emerged as the actual winner of the primary and that the results transmitted or monitored during the exercise support his position.
The court will therefore have to examine the evidence surrounding the conduct, collation and declaration of the APC primary.
The dispute follows Uzodimma’s decision to seek a return to the National Assembly after completing his tenure as Imo governor.
The governor entered the race for the Imo West senatorial seat earlier in 2026, setting up a contest that initially included Okorocha and incumbent Senator Osita Izunaso. Uzodimma subsequently emerged as the APC’s publicly announced candidate after the May primary.
The Imo West district, also known as the Orlu zone, has considerable political importance in the state. Uzodimma previously represented the district in the Senate, while Okorocha also held the seat before and after serving as governor.
The legal battle therefore pits two former occupants of the senatorial seat against each other, with the outcome potentially affecting the APC’s 2027 strategy in Imo.
The Federal High Court will determine whether Okorocha’s claims meet the legal threshold required to invalidate the existing nomination and compel INEC to recognise him instead.
For now, Uzodimma remains the APC candidate recognised in public reports and by INEC’s published candidate process, while Okorocha’s challenge remains before the court. The lawsuit means the final status of the APC’s Imo West ticket could become a subject of further judicial proceedings as the 2027 election approaches.
The case also highlights a broader issue in Nigeria’s electoral system: disputes over party primaries can continue long after political parties announce their candidates, leaving courts to determine which primary result should ultimately receive legal recognition.
