Breaking: Court declares Okorocha winner of Imo West APC primary, orders INEC to recognise him

The Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that former Imo State governor Rochas Okorocha won the May 18 primary and ordered the APC to submit his name as its candidate for the 2027 Imo West senatorial election.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has declared former Imo State governor Rochas Okorocha the winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary for Imo West Senatorial District and ordered the party to forward his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its candidate for the 2027 election.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu delivered the judgment on Thursday, October 29, 2026, ruling that the evidence before the court showed that Okorocha secured the majority of votes cast in the May 18 primary.

The court also ordered Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma to stop presenting himself as the APC’s candidate for the senatorial seat, according to a report by Channels Television.

The judgment followed a legal challenge filed by Okorocha against INEC, the APC and Uzodimma over the commission’s recognition of the governor as the party’s candidate for the district.

Okorocha had argued that the outcome of the primary was inconsistent with the result he said was recorded by electoral officials who monitored the exercise. He asked the court to set aside INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma and direct the commission to recognise him as the duly nominated candidate.

The dispute centres on conflicting accounts of the May 18 primary. The APC’s declared result had named Uzodimma as the winner, with 230,464 votes, while Okorocha was initially reported to have received 1,098 votes.

Okorocha, however, maintained in his court action that he won the contest and cited figures different from those announced by the party.

The controversy deepened in October when INEC petitioned the Department of State Services and the police over a disputed document circulating on social media that purported to identify Okorocha as the winner of the primary. The commission said the document contradicted the result report submitted to its national headquarters, which listed Uzodimma as the winner.

INEC asked the security agencies to investigate the circumstances surrounding the circulation of the disputed document.

The court’s latest ruling changes the position in the legal dispute over the APC ticket for Imo West. The party is now under an order to forward Okorocha’s name to INEC, while the commission is directed to recognise and publish him as the candidate.

The ruling concerns the party’s nomination for the Imo West senatorial seat in the 2027 general election. Further developments, including any appeal against the judgment, could affect the next steps in the nomination process.