Court sacks Uzodinma as APC senatorial candidate – Daily Trust

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take away the title of Imo State governor, Hope Uzodinma, as the Senatorial candidate for Imo West.

The court docket particularly requested the electoral umpire to exchange Uzodinma as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with the title of former governor Rochas Okorocha.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu gave the order after holding that Uzodinma didn’t win the May 18 major election performed by the APC and monitored by INEC.

Daily Trust experiences that the INEC had slated Presidential, Senatorial and House of Representatives elections for January 16, 2027.

Delivering his judgment, the choose held that proof offered earlier than the court docket proved that Okorocha truly received nearly all of the votes forged on the ballot and ought to be revealed as the winner of the election.

Egwuatu subsequently ordered the APC to ahead Okorocha’s title as candidate of the APC within the 2027 basic elections for Imo West Senatorial election.

The court docket additionally restrained Uzodimma from parading himself as the APC senatorial candidate for the January 16, 2027 election, holding that he didn’t win the social gathering’s May 18, 2026 major.

The choose, whereas declaring that Okorocha emerged as the lawful winner of the first, held that the nomination of Uzodimma breached Sections 29 and 32 of the Electoral Act and didn’t adjust to the APC’s tips for conducting major elections.

He consequently declared that it was illegal and fraudulent for the social gathering to have forwarded Uzodimma’s title to INEC as the winner of a major election he didn’t win.

The choose held, “That the publication of Hope Uzodimma’s name by INEC as the winner of the primary election is wrongful and unlawful.”

He additional dominated, “That the INEC publication of the name of Hope Uzodimma on August 1 as APC Senatorial candidate for Imo West is hereby set aside and in its place, INEC is ordered to restore the name of Rochas Okorocha.”

Justice Egwuatu additionally faulted INEC for accepting Uzodimma’s nomination regardless of what he described as overwhelming documentary proof exhibiting that the governor was not the lawful winner of the first.

He declared, “Rochas Okorocha is the lawful winner and is entitled to have his name submitted to INEC.”

The choose held that INEC was sure by the report of its personal officers, which, in response to him, clearly established that Okorocha received the May 18 major.

In reviewing the proof offered earlier than the court docket, Justice Egwuatu questioned the authenticity and consistency of paperwork submitted by the APC to justify Uzodimma’s nomination.

He mentioned, “Majority of the paperwork tendered by APC to assist the purported nomination of Uzodimma (third respondent) contradicts one another indicating that they have been clearly fabricated for the illegal function of nominating the third respondent as candidate.

“In view of the doubt cast on the authenticity of the documents, the court cannot ascribe probative value to the purported documents.”

The choose mentioned paperwork signed, licensed and launched to Okorocha following a proper request confirmed that the previous governor secured nearly all of lawful votes forged within the major throughout the ten native authorities areas that make up the senatorial district.

He recognized discrepancies within the accounts given by totally different APC officers concerning how the first was performed.

According to the choose, one doc submitted by the social gathering indicated that Option A4 was used for the train, whereas one other doc from a member of the social gathering’s National Working Committee claimed {that a} consensus association produced Uzodimma as the candidate.

Justice Egwuatu mentioned one other doc from a distinct NWC member, nevertheless, claimed {that a} direct major was performed for a similar election.

He described the conflicting accounts as important, significantly as a result of votes have been reportedly allotted to the aspirants regardless of the declare that Uzodimma emerged via consensus.

The choose subsequently ordered the APC to ahead Okorocha’s title to INEC and directed the fee to exchange Uzodimma’s title with that of the previous governor.

The dispute arose from conflicting claims over the result of the APC major for the Imo West Senatorial District forward of the 2027 basic elections.

Okorocha challenged Uzodimma’s recognition as the social gathering’s candidate, arguing that the result introduced in favour of the incumbent governor didn’t replicate the results of the first monitored by INEC.

Uzodimma was declared the winner of the first and recognised by the INEC, which maintained that the official outcomes confirmed that the governor polled 230,464 votes, whereas Okorocha acquired 1,098 votes.

However, a separate doc subsequently circulated, purporting to point out that Okorocha received the first with 150,780 votes.

Okorocha filed a go well with on the Federal High Court in Abuja, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, difficult the result of the first and INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the social gathering’s candidate.

The former governor requested the court docket to find out whether or not the fee was proper to recognise Uzodimma as the winner, counting on the disputed major outcomes and different points raised in his go well with.

The go well with additionally raised questions on Uzodimma’s eligibility to contest the 2027 senatorial election whereas serving as governor, with Okorocha asking the court docket to think about the related constitutional provisions.