 senatorial ticket for Imo West has taken a dramatic turn, with a Federal High Court in Abuja reportedly declaring former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, the authentic candidate for the district, while the party's state chapter insists that incumbent Governor Hope Uzodimma remains its flag bearer.){kind=link}
BY OUR CORRESPONDENT
The battle for the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial ticket for Imo West has taken a dramatic turn, with a Federal High Court in Abuja reportedly declaring former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, the authentic candidate for the district, while the party’s state chapter insists that incumbent Governor Hope Uzodimma remains its flag bearer.
The conflicting positions have opened a fresh chapter in the political and legal contest over the coveted senatorial ticket, raising questions about the implications of the court’s pronouncement and the next move by the ruling party.
While the court’s reported decision favours Okorocha, the Imo State chapter of the APC, in a statement issued on Thursday, October 29, maintained that Uzodimma remains its candidate, insisting that he won the party’s primary election with overwhelming support from its members.
The party, however, acknowledged the legal intervention, disclosing that its legal department would study the outcome of the proceedings and determine the appropriate course of action.
The development has placed the APC in the middle of a potentially consequential dispute over the ownership of its Imo West senatorial ticket, with the court’s reported declaration and the party’s position presenting two competing claims that must now be reconciled through the legal process.
In the statement signed by its State Publicity Secretary, Onwuasoanya Jones, the APC dismissed reports circulating on social media about a change in its candidate, describing them as unverified.
The party declared: “The Party wishes to state without any confusion that His Excellency Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma 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.”
It added: “The Party’s legal department shall study the outcome of a legal intervention in this matter and act accordingly.”
The statement did not indicate whether the party had decided to appeal the judgment or what specific legal steps it intended to take following its review.
The APC urged its members and supporters to remain focused and undistracted, calling on them to continue working for the party’s victory across all constituencies in Imo State.
But the court’s reported declaration in favour of Okorocha has introduced a major legal complication into the party’s insistence on Uzodimma’s candidacy.
The central issue now is how the judgment affects the party’s nomination and whether the APC will challenge the ruling or comply with its terms.
The distinction is significant because the party’s position that Uzodimma won its primary election does not, by itself, resolve the legal questions arising from the court’s decision. Equally, the precise effect of the judgment will depend on its actual orders and any subsequent proceedings.
The dispute also puts the spotlight on the role of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), particularly if the court’s orders require action concerning the party’s candidate for Imo West.
For now, the APC has publicly maintained its support for Uzodimma while leaving its next legal move open.
The unfolding situation represents a test of how the party will reconcile its internal nomination process with the judicial determination of the dispute.
With the state chapter promising to study the judgment, attention will now shift to the party’s legal response and the precise terms of the court’s orders.
Until those issues are clarified, the APC’s Imo West senatorial candidacy remains the subject of an unresolved political and legal contest between the party’s declared position and the court’s reported decision.