The Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has maintained that Governor Hope Uzodimma remains its candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 elections, despite a Federal High Court ruling directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise former Governor Rochas Okorocha.
Key Highlights
- Imo APC says Governor Hope Uzodimma remains its Imo West senatorial candidate for 2027.
- A Federal High Court in Abuja ordered INEC to replace Uzodimma’s name with Rochas Okorocha’s.
- Justice Obiora Egwuatu ruled that Okorocha won the May 18 primary.
- The party’s legal department will study the judgment before its next move.
- Okorocha filed the suit in August, challenging INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma.
The party stated its position on Thursday through the state Publicity Secretary, Jones Onwuasoanya, insisting that Uzodimma secured the party’s ticket through its senatorial primary.
According to the APC, the governor won the primary with overwhelming support from party members, leaving his candidacy unchanged despite the court’s decision.
“The party wishes to state without any confusion that Hope Uzodimma, 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,” the statement said.
However, the party indicated that it would review the judgment before deciding on its next line of action.
“The party’s legal department shall study the outcome of a legal intervention in this matter and act accordingly,” Onwuasoanya added.
What The Court Ruled
Earlier on Thursday, the Federal High Court in Abuja, ordered INEC to remove Uzodimma’s name as the APC candidate for Imo West and replace it with Okorocha’s.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu ruled that evidence presented before the court showed that Okorocha secured the majority of votes in the party’s primary conducted on May 18.
The judge faulted INEC for recognising Uzodimma as the party’s candidate despite what he described as overwhelming documentary evidence that the governor did not win the primary.
Read also:
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- Police Reportedly Arrest Rochas Okorocha in Abuja Over Alleged Forgery, Impersonation
- PRP Chairman Baba-Ahmed Accuses Tinubu of Buying Power as APC Reshuffles 2027 Campaign Council
Okorocha, who governed Imo State from 2011 to 2019, instituted the legal action in August, challenging INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the party’s candidate.
He argued that the electoral commission should have relied on reports submitted by its officials who monitored the primary election.
The dispute has placed the APC’s position at odds with the court’s directive, with the party maintaining its support for Uzodimma while its legal department reviews the judgment.
The next steps in the case could determine the party’s final candidate for the Imo West senatorial seat ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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