The Imo State Commissioner for Information, Declan Emelumba, has faulted a Federal High Court judgment declaring former governor Rochas Okorocha the winner of the All Progressives Congress senatorial primary for Imo West, describing the decision as a miscarriage of justice.
Emelumba said the state government would challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal, insisting that it contradicted established legal principles and previous decisions of the Supreme Court.
In a statement on Thursday, the commissioner accused the trial judge of disregarding existing judicial pronouncements on the appropriate procedure for handling allegations of forgery and perjury.
He argued that the Supreme Court had ruled that such matters could not be determined through an originating summons, but alleged that the judge proceeded to deliver judgment based on affidavit evidence involving documents he described as forged.
“But for unfathomable reasons, he chose to defy the authority of the Supreme Court to deliver judgment in favour of Okorocha based on affidavit evidence founded on forged documents,” Emelumba said.
The commissioner also questioned the court’s decision to entertain the suit despite what he described as a breach of the statutory timeframe for challenging primary election results.
According to him, the Supreme Court judgment in Orji v Chima requires litigants seeking to challenge primary election outcomes to institute their cases within 14 days of the exercise.
He noted that the APC primary was conducted on May 18, 2026, while Okorocha filed his suit on August 13, 2026, a period of 87 days after the exercise.
Emelumba said the court nevertheless overruled the preliminary objection, despite identifying the central issue as determining the winner of the primary election.
He maintained that the government would pursue available legal remedies to overturn the decision.
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“As law-abiding citizens, we would explore the judicial avenues available to set aside the Federal High Court ruling and recover our mandate,” he added.
Justice Egwuatu of the Federal High Court had, on Thursday, ruled that Okorocha won the APC primary held on May 18, 2026, which was monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The judge held that the evidence before the court established that the former governor secured the majority of votes cast and should be recognised as the winner.
Consequently, the court ordered the APC to submit Okorocha’s name as its candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections.
The court also directed Governor Hope Uzodimma to stop presenting himself as the party’s candidate for the senatorial election scheduled for January 16, 2027.
The ruling has intensified the dispute over the APC’s senatorial ticket in Imo West ahead of the 2027 elections, with the state government signalling its intention to seek appellate review.