The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State has insisted that Governor Hope Uzodimma remains its candidate for the Imo West senatorial district in the 2027 elections, dismissing any suggestion that a Federal High Court ruling has changed the party’s position.
The party maintained that Uzodimma secured its ticket through a primary election, even as the court directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise former governor Rochas Okorocha as the winner of the exercise.
In a statement issued on Thursday, October 29, the APC state publicity secretary, Jones Onwuasoanya, said the governor remained the party’s candidate, adding that its legal department would examine the court’s decision and determine the appropriate response.
“The party wishes to state without any confusion that His Excellency Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma, CON, 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 reads.
“The Party’s legal department shall study the outcome of a legal intervention in this matter and act accordingly.
“We urge our teeming Party members and supporters of our great Party to remain focused and undistracted and remain committed to working assiduously for the victory of our Party across all constituencies in the State.”
The party’s position followed a ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja ordering INEC to remove Uzodimma’s name as the APC candidate for Imo West and replace it with Okorocha’s.
Presiding judge Obiora Egwuatu held that the evidence presented before the court showed that Okorocha secured the majority of votes in the party’s primary conducted on May 18.
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The judge faulted INEC for accepting Uzodimma’s nomination despite what he described as “overwhelming documentary evidence that the governor did not win the primary”.
Okorocha, who governed Imo State from 2011 to 2019, had filed a suit in August challenging INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the party’s senatorial candidate.
He argued that the commission was bound by reports from its officials who monitored the primary.
Despite the court’s directive, the Imo APC has maintained its support for Uzodimma while indicating that it will review the judgment before taking further legal steps.
The dispute leaves the party’s Imo West ticket contested, with the next steps likely to depend on the legal process and any further decisions by the relevant authorities.