Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has vowed to problem the Federal High Court judgement recognising his predecessor, Rochas Okorocha, because the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Imo West Senatorial District within the 2027 common elections.
Uzodimma, by way of 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 place whereas responding to questions on Okorocha’s allegations towards him and the circumstances surrounding the disputed APC senatorial main.
“Obviously, the Governor will appeal the judgment, which is a travesty of justice,” Nwachuku advised PREMIUM TIMES.
The governor’s response adopted Okorocha’s look on Arise News’ Prime Time, the place the previous governor claimed that he remained the dominant political determine within the APC in Imo State.
Okorocha additionally accused Uzodimma’s camp of counting on paperwork allegedly containing irregularities to safe the celebration’s senatorial ticket.
Insisting on his political affect within the state, the previous governor declared that “the structure of APC in Imo State is Rochas”.
However, dismissing the previous governor’s claims, Nwachuku insisted that Uzodimma received the Imo West senatorial main by an awesome margin.
According to the governor’s spokesperson, a direct main was carried out in Imo West after Okorocha rejected the consensus association adopted within the different two senatorial districts.
He defined 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 preparations that produced Prince Alex Mbata and Senator Patrick Ndubueze, respectively.
Nwachuku stated Okorocha, nevertheless, insisted on contesting towards Uzodimma throughout the 12 native authorities areas in Imo West.
He maintained that the governor emerged victorious with 230,464 votes towards Okorocha’s 1,098 votes.
The spokesperson additional stated officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had been current throughout the train. At the identical time, the APC National Assembly Primary Election Committee, led by its chairman and returning officer, retired Rear Admiral Williams Kayoda, supervised the method throughout the native authorities areas.
He insisted that the train was authentic and accused Okorocha of making an attempt to undermine the APC by difficult the end result.
“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 stated.
Nwachuku additionally dismissed Okorocha’s declare to regulate the APC construction in Imo State, arguing that the celebration’s guidelines recognise sitting governors as leaders of the celebration of their respective states.
According to him, President Bola Tinubu stays the nationwide chief of the APC, whereas Uzodimma controls the celebration’s construction 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 stated.
He accused the previous governor of making an attempt to personalise a celebration construction that belonged collectively to its members, alleging that Okorocha was unwilling to undergo the celebration’s LEADERSHIP.
The governor’s spokesperson additionally criticised Okorocha’s eight-year administration in Imo State, describing it as a household system of presidency and blaming his efficiency in workplace for his alleged lack of political relevance.
Nwachuku additional dismissed the previous governor’s public celebration of the courtroom judgement, insisting that the ruling wouldn’t survive an attraction.
“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 stated.
He additionally faulted Okorocha’s claims of continued recognition amongst voters in Imo West and throughout the state.
Concluding his response, Nwachuku used the expression caveat emptor, which means purchaser beware, urging members of the general public to scrutinise the previous governor’s claims.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, had dominated in favour of Okorocha within the dispute over the APC Imo West senatorial main.
The courtroom declared the previous governor the celebration’s validly nominated candidate and directed INEC to recognise him for the 2027 senatorial election.
The judgement adopted a go well with filed by Okorocha difficult INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma because the winner of the celebration’s May 18 main.
During his Arise News interview, Okorocha stated he obtained licensed copies of paperwork referring to the first from INEC on July 26, 2026, whereas paperwork supporting Uzodimma’s emergence had been submitted to the fee on August 22.
He alleged that the paperwork contained inconsistencies, together with discrepancies within the date of the first and the outline of Uzodimma’s emergence as a consensus candidate regardless of the existence of competing aspirants.
The former governor additional claimed that outcome sheets for greater than 300 polling items throughout 144 wards and 12 native authorities areas had been accomplished by a single individual.
He additionally questioned the circumstances surrounding a letter allegedly submitted to the APC nationwide chairman by the Imo Resident Electoral Commissioner.
Okorocha argued that the doc supporting his declare was licensed by INEC, whereas the one supporting Uzodimma was licensed by the APC.
He maintained that the alleged discrepancies fashioned a part of the proof that persuaded the courtroom to recognise him because the winner of the first.
However, the governor’s camp has disputed the allegations of doc irregularities and forgery, insisting that the first was correctly carried out below the supervision of INEC officers and the APC nationwide election committee.
The APC had additionally indicated that it might examine the judgment and pursue accessible authorized treatments.
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