OpenLife News reports that a Federal High Court in Abuja has terminated the Senate President aspiration of Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, just two days after he publicly rejected the controversial Rainbow Coalition movement in Imo State.
The court, in a landmark judgment delivered on Thursday, October 29, 2026, by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, sacked Governor Uzodinma as the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Imo West and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately recognize former Governor Rochas Okorocha as the authentic candidate.
The ruling has thrown the Imo APC into fresh crisis and dealt a devastating blow to Uzodinma’s reported ambition to succeed Godswill Akpabio as Senate President in the 12th National Assembly in 2027.
Delivering judgment in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1245/2026, Justice Egwuatu held that evidence before the court conclusively established that Governor Uzodinma was not the valid winner of the primary election the APC conducted in the senatorial zone on May 18, 2026, which was duly monitored by INEC officials.
The court found that former Imo governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha, secured the majority of lawful votes cast at the primary and ought to have been nominated by the party.
“Evidence presented before this court proves that the plaintiff, Rochas Okorocha, actually won majority of the lawful votes cast at the poll and should be published as winner,” Justice Egwuatu declared.
Consequently, the court ordered INEC to forthwith recognise Senator Okorocha and publish his name as the authentic candidate of the APC for the senatorial poll scheduled for January 16, 2027, as part of the 2027 general elections.
The court further issued a perpetual injunction barring Governor Uzodinma from presenting himself as the candidate of the APC for the election.
Justice Egwuatu was scathing in his assessment of how Uzodinma emerged as candidate, describing the process as fraudulent and in breach of the law.
The judge held that the nomination of Uzodinma breached Sections 29 and 32 of the Electoral Act, 2026 and failed to comply with the APC’s own guidelines for conducting primary elections.
Justice Egwuatu criticized INEC for accepting Uzodinma’s nomination despite what he described as overwhelming documentary evidence indicating that the Imo governor did not win the APC primary.
The judge ruled that majority of the documents tendered by APC to support the purported nomination of Uzodinma contradict each other, indicating that they were fabricated for the unlawful purpose of nominating the governor.
“That the publication of Hope Uzodimma’s name by INEC as the winner of the primary election is wrongful and unlawful,” the judge ruled.
He subsequently ordered the APC to forward Okorocha’s name as candidate of the APC in the 2027 general elections for Imo West Senatorial election and ordered the electoral body to publish his name.
The judgment also indicted INEC officials who monitored the primary, noting that their report corroborated Okorocha’s claim that he won the primary with 148,276 valid votes against Uzodinma’s 3,421 votes in the delegate election.
The APC leadership in Abuja had claimed Uzodinma scored 230,464 votes while Okorocha scored 1,098 votes, figures the court dismissed as “fictitious and not supported by INEC monitoring report.”
The ruling has introduced fresh uncertainty into calculations surrounding the leadership of the Senate in the next Assembly.
It is touted that Hope Uzodimma is nursing the ambition of becoming the next Senate President in 2027 if he wins the Imo West election. Sources close to the Presidency revealed that Uzodinma, who is Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, had been positioned as a possible successor to Godswill Akpabio, the incumbent Senate president, as part of a South-East balancing arrangement.
Although the Senate president is elected by senators at the inauguration of the National Assembly, the ability to secure a seat in the chamber would be a fundamental requirement for Uzodinma to pursue the position.
The court’s decision therefore raises questions about the viability of that reported ambition.
Political analyst Professor Atah Pine told our correspondent: “Without a senatorial ticket, you cannot become Senate President. This ruling, if it stands, effectively ends Uzodinma’s ambition. He must first win in court before he can dream of presiding over the Senate.”
The court judgment is coming just 48 hours after Governor Uzodinma publicly rejected the Rainbow Coalition movement in Imo State, sparking a war of words with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
The Rainbow Coalition is a new political movement reportedly backed by Nyesom Wike to rally support for President Bola Tinubu‘s second term, but also seen as a platform for Wike to expand his influence in South-East APC.
The coalition has caused tension within Imo APC, with loyalists of Okorocha and other aggrieved members reportedly joining.
Wike had recently visited Owerri and held closed-door meetings with some APC stakeholders without Uzodinma’s knowledge, fueling speculations that Wike was working to undermine UzodUzodinm
At the Imo State Government House on Monday, October 27, Uzodinma declared:
“There is no rainbow coalition in Imo State. APC remains united under my leadership as leader of the party in the South-East. Anybody coming to create confusion should stay away.”
He added that Imo APC does not need an external coalition to deliver for Tinubu in 2027.
Wike’s camp immediately fired back, with a source close to the FCT Minister saying: “Uzodinma cannot stop a moving train. The Rainbow Coalition is a national movement.”
Following Thursday’s court ruling sacking Uzodinma, some APC chieftains have alleged Wike’s involvement.
“This strange ruling will definitely derail APC’s unity ahead of 2027, we suspect this is Wike’s handwork,” a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council told reporters on condition of anonymity.
Wike has denied any involvement, saying the judiciary is independent.
The judgment has revived one of Imo State’s most bitter political rivalries.
Mr Okorocha previously served as a senator representing the Imo West senatorial district from June 2019 to June 2023 during the 9th Nigerian Senate. His election to the senate followed his eight years as governor between May 2011 and May 2019.
His bid to return to the Senate has intensified the longtime rivalry between him and Mr Uzodimma, who became governor through a controversial Supreme Court judgement in January 2020 despite the then-incumbent governor Okorocha backing another candidate, Uche Nwosu, to succeed him.
Since 2020, both men have battled for control of Imo APC structure, with Uzodinma controlling the party machinery and Okorocha leading a faction.
Mr Uzodimma is in his second and final four-year term as governor, which should run till January 2028. If he eventually prevails in the senatorial contest, he must resign as governor and forfeit the remaining six months of his tenure to take up the senatorial seat.
Okorocha, on his part, sees a return to the Senate as a launchpad for another presidential attempt in 2031.
The Imo State chapter of the APC has rejected the court’s decision and announced plans to appeal.
However and in a statement signed by Imo APC Chairman, Hon. MacDonald Ebere, the party insisted that Uzodinma remains its legitimate candidate for Imo West.
“The judgment is strange and cannot stand. The primary election was properly conducted and monitored, and Governor Uzodinma scored 230,464 votes while Okorocha scored 1,098 votes. We will appeal immediately,” the statement read.
The party has 14 days to file an appeal at the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division.
INEC, through its National Commissioner, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the commission will obey the court order as required by Section 287 of the Constitution, pending any stay of execution.
For now, Okorocha’s name will be published as APC candidate for Imo West unless a higher court reverses the judgment.
Q: Why did court sack Hope Uzodinma as Imo West candidate?
A: Justice Obiora Egwuatu held that Uzodinma did not win the May 18 APC primary monitored by INEC and that Rochas Okorocha garnered the highest votes.
Q: Who is now APC candidate for Imo West?
A: Rochas Okorocha has been ordered by the court to be recognised as the authentic APC candidate for Imo West senatorial election slated for January 16, 2027.
Q: What is Rainbow Coalition in Imo State?
A: Rainbow Coalition is a political movement linked to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike which Governor Hope Uzodinma rejected two days ago saying there is no rainbow coalition in Imo.
Sunday Oliseh says John Obi Mikel killed Super Eagles after snubbing his London meeting when…
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Tuesday, August 27, approved the appointment of German coach…
INEC will today decide fate of uncleared guber candidates like Pantami, Gwarzo and Ladi Adebutu…
CANMPEF says soaring energy costs, expensive credit and weak demand are taking Nigeria backward, as…
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned President Bola Tinubu not to invoke Allah's name…
VP Shettima productive enterprise Renewed Hope Agenda
This website uses cookies.