Former Imo State Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha, has described the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja affirming him as the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate for Imo West Senatorial District as victory for the people of Imo State.
Okorocha spoke on Thursday while hosting his legal team after the judgment delivered by Justice Obiora Egwuatu.
The court had held that Okorocha won the APC senatorial primary conducted on May 18, 2026, and ordered the party to submit his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as its candidate for the January 16, 2027 election. It also directed Governor Hope Uzodimma to stop parading himself as the party’s candidate.
Reacting, Okorocha commended the judiciary for upholding justice.
“I thank the judiciary for standing on the side of justice. I could imagine what would have happened in the state if they decided to twist justice. This is a victory for Imo State,” he said.
The former governor also referenced President Bola Tinubu’s signature cap, saying the judgment had political symbolism for Imo.
“This is also the first time the Imo people will understand the sign of the shackle on President Tinubu’s cap. By this judgment, the shackle on Imo State has been broken, and it is also evident that the President is tired of this nonsense and that he is not in support of it,” he said.
He expressed gratitude to President Tinubu, although he did not provide evidence that the President intervened in the matter or influenced the court’s decision.
The judgment followed a protracted legal battle in which Okorocha challenged INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the APC candidate. The dispute gained traction earlier this month after INEC petitioned the Police and the Department of State Services over a disputed document circulating online that purported to name Okorocha as winner of the primary.
INEC had maintained that its official report recognised Uzodimma as winner with 230,464 votes against Okorocha’s 1,098 votes, and asked security agencies to investigate the circulation of the alternative document.
Okorocha also addressed reports of his alleged arrest.
“When the news broke out that I was arrested, I refused to make any comments,” he said.
He, however, faulted documents relied upon in the dispute, questioning how Uzodimma could be said to have emerged through consensus when individual scores were recorded, and alleging discrepancy in dates — with one document listing May 16 instead of May 18 when the primary was held.
“So which one did the court really dwell on?” he asked.
The judgment marks a major twist in the contest for the APC ticket in Imo West ahead of the 2027 general elections, subject to further legal proceedings.
