Okorocha Sues INEC, Uzodimma Over APC Imo West Senate Ticket Ahead of 2027

Former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has taken his battle over the APC’s Imo West Senatorial District ticket to court, challenging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Hope Uzodimma and the All Progressives Congress (APC) over Uzodimma’s nomination for the 2027 election.

The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, is marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026. Okorocha is asking the court to overturn INEC’s publication of Uzodimma as the APC candidate and recognise him as the rightful winner of the party’s senatorial primary.

Okorocha’s originating summons was filed on August 13, 2026, by his counsel, O.J. Aboje. The former governor wants the court to determine whether INEC was bound by the reports submitted by its officials who monitored the APC primary held on May 18.

The central dispute is the result of that primary. Williams Kayode, chairman and returning officer of the APC’s 2026 Imo National Assembly Primary Election Committee, declared Uzodimma the winner with 230,464 votes. However, Okorocha’s camp claims the former governor actually won the direct primary with 150,780 votes, while Uzodimma polled 102,158.

Okorocha is also challenging Uzodimma’s eligibility on constitutional grounds. His case cites Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution, which states that a sitting governor cannot hold another executive office or paid employment while in office.

Uzodimma was sworn in for a second term as Imo governor in January 2024, meaning his tenure is expected to run until January 2028. The 11th Senate, however, is scheduled to be inaugurated in June 2027, creating a potential constitutional and political question if he wins the senatorial election while still serving as governor.

The former governor is asking the court to set aside INEC’s publication of Uzodimma as the APC’s Imo West candidate and order the commission to publish his name instead. He is also seeking an order preventing Uzodimma, the APC or anyone acting on their behalf from presenting him as the party’s candidate.

Okorocha governed Imo State from 2011 to 2019 and represented Imo West in the Senate between 2019 and 2023. The latest lawsuit now puts the disputed APC primary and Uzodimma’s proposed move from the Government House to the Senate at the centre of a fresh legal battle ahead of the 2027 elections.