ORLU SENATORIAL SEAT: WAR IN IMO AS OKOROCHA BATTLES UZODIMMA

The dispute over the APC’s Imo West senatorial ticket has intensified, with the party’s 12 local government chairmen in the district backing Governor Hope Uzodimma despite a court judgment recognising former governor Rochas Okorocha.

Speaking at a press conference in Owerri on Friday, the chairmen rejected the ruling and maintained that Uzodimma won the party’s May 18 primary.

Their position follows Thursday’s judgment by Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which held that Okorocha presented sufficient evidence of victory.

The court directed the APC to submit Okorocha’s name to INEC, ordered the commission to publish him as the candidate and barred Uzodimma from presenting himself as the party’s nominee.

Conflicting Results at the Centre of the Case

The dispute rests on competing accounts of the primary.

Documents presented on Okorocha’s behalf claimed he received 150,780 votes against Uzodimma’s 102,158.

Uzodimma’s camp submitted a different result, recording 230,464 votes for the governor and 1,098 for Okorocha. INEC told the court that its monitoring records supported Uzodimma’s victory.

The local government chairmen also endorsed those figures and questioned why Okorocha had not pursued the party’s internal appeal process.

Uzodimma’s supporters have said they will challenge the judgment on appeal.

Okorocha Welcomes Judgment

Okorocha described the ruling as a victory for democracy and defended the documents he submitted.

He argued that INEC monitors party primaries rather than conducts them, maintaining that certified records he obtained from the commission supported his claim.

He also alleged inconsistencies in the documents presented by Uzodimma’s side. Those claims remain disputed.

“For now I am the APC candidate,” Okorocha said.

The disagreement has exposed divisions within the Imo APC ahead of the January 16, 2027 senatorial election.

While Uzodimma retains the backing of state party leaders, the court has directed recognition of Okorocha. The supplied report did not indicate that the judgment had been stayed or overturned.