“Okorocha Is Chasing Shadows” — Uzodimma Vows To Appeal Court Judgement

Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has vowed to challenge the Federal High Court judgement recognising his predecessor, Rochas Okorocha, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections.

Uzodimma, through his Chief Press Secretary, Oguike Nwachuku, dismissed the ruling as a “travesty of justice”, expressing confidence that the Court of Appeal would overturn it.

Nwachuku disclosed the governor’s position while responding to questions on Okorocha’s allegations against him and the circumstances surrounding the disputed APC senatorial primary.

“Obviously, the Governor will appeal the judgment, which is a travesty of justice,” Nwachuku told PREMIUM TIMES.

The governor’s reaction followed Okorocha’s appearance on Arise News’ Prime Time, where the former governor claimed that he remained the dominant political figure in the APC in Imo State.

Okorocha also accused Uzodimma’s camp of relying on documents allegedly containing irregularities to secure the party’s senatorial ticket.

Insisting on his political influence in the state, the former governor declared that “the structure of APC in Imo State is Rochas”.

However, dismissing the former governor’s claims, Nwachuku insisted that Uzodimma won the Imo West senatorial primary by an overwhelming margin.

According to the governor’s spokesperson, a direct primary was conducted in Imo West after Okorocha rejected the consensus arrangement adopted in the other two senatorial districts.

He explained that political stakeholders in Owerri Zone, which produces the Imo East senatorial seat, and Okigwe Zone, which produces the Imo North senatorial seat, opted for consensus arrangements that produced Prince Alex Mbata and Senator Patrick Ndubueze, respectively.

Nwachuku said Okorocha, however, insisted on contesting against Uzodimma across the 12 local government areas in Imo West.

He maintained that the governor emerged victorious with 230,464 votes against Okorocha’s 1,098 votes.

The spokesperson further said officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were present during the exercise. At the same time, the APC National Assembly Primary Election Committee, led by its chairman and returning officer, retired Rear Admiral Williams Kayoda, supervised the process across the local government areas.

He insisted that the exercise was legitimate and accused Okorocha of attempting to undermine the APC by challenging the outcome.

“Rochas Okorocha is simply chasing shadows and intentionally working against the interest of the APC he claims to be a founding member of and the re-election of President Bola Tinubu,” he said.

Nwachuku also dismissed Okorocha’s claim to control the APC structure in Imo State, arguing that the party’s rules recognise sitting governors as leaders of the party in their respective states.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu remains the national leader of the APC, while Uzodimma controls the party’s structure in Imo State.

“By the APC rules, the governors are the leaders of the party in their states while the president is the leader in the country. I’m not aware that rule has changed,” he said.

He accused the former governor of attempting to personalise a party structure that belonged collectively to its members, alleging that Okorocha was unwilling to submit to the party’s LEADERSHIP.

The governor’s spokesperson also criticised Okorocha’s eight-year administration in Imo State, describing it as a family system of government and blaming his performance in office for his alleged loss of political relevance.

Nwachuku further dismissed the former governor’s public celebration of the court judgement, insisting that the ruling would not survive an appeal.

“No responsible leader anywhere in the world will appear on television the way Okorocha did to celebrate a judgement he knows will be thrown out at the appeal for lacking in facts and for being against the rules of the party,” he said.

He also faulted Okorocha’s claims of continued popularity among voters in Imo West and across the state.

Concluding his response, Nwachuku used the expression caveat emptor, meaning buyer beware, urging members of the public to scrutinise the former governor’s claims.

The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, had ruled in favour of Okorocha in the dispute over the APC Imo West senatorial primary.

The court declared the former governor the party’s validly nominated candidate and directed INEC to recognise him for the 2027 senatorial election.

The judgement followed a suit filed by Okorocha challenging INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the winner of the party’s May 18 primary.

During his Arise News interview, Okorocha said he obtained certified copies of documents relating to the primary from INEC on July 26, 2026, while documents supporting Uzodimma’s emergence were submitted to the commission on August 22.

He alleged that the documents contained inconsistencies, including discrepancies in the date of the primary and the description of Uzodimma’s emergence as a consensus candidate despite the existence of competing aspirants.

The former governor further claimed that result sheets for more than 300 polling units across 144 wards and 12 local government areas were completed by a single person.

He also questioned the circumstances surrounding a letter allegedly submitted to the APC national chairman by the Imo Resident Electoral Commissioner.

Okorocha argued that the document supporting his claim was certified by INEC, while the one supporting Uzodimma was certified by the APC.

He maintained that the alleged discrepancies formed part of the evidence that persuaded the court to recognise him as the winner of the primary.

However, the governor’s camp has disputed the allegations of document irregularities and forgery, insisting that the primary was properly conducted under the supervision of INEC officials and the APC national election committee.

The APC had also indicated that it would study the judgment and pursue available legal remedies.