A Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, has directed the All Progressives Congress (APC) to submit former governor Rochas Okorocha’s name as its candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, the judge also barred Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma from continuing to present himself as the party’s candidate for the senatorial election, which is scheduled for January 16, 2027. The court held that Uzodinma did not win the APC primary of May 18, which was monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to the judge, the evidence before the court showed that Okorocha received the majority of the lawful votes cast and should be declared the winner. He therefore ordered the APC to forward Okorocha’s name to INEC and directed the commission to publish it.

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This is coming on the heels of Governor’s open support for Tinubu’s reelection where he denied the existence of a rainbow coalition in Imo state while stating that Tinubu’s votes would be gotten organically.

The governor stated this in Owerri at the launch of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, a  political support group mobilising grassroots backing for the president.

Speaking at Ndubuisi Kanu Square, Uzodinma commended the group’s founder and leadership for promoting the Renewed Hope Agenda, describing its members as key image-makers who would help communicate the Tinubu administration’s policies and programmes to the electorate.

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He expressed confidence that the group’s grassroots mobilisation would boost public awareness of the administration’s agenda and strengthen support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.

Governor Hope Uzodinma had reportedly purchased nomination forms for the Orlu Zone senatorial seat, signaling an intention to leave Government House in Owerri for a return to the National Assembly — and, according to political insiders, to position himself for the Senate Presidency.

The development was disclosed in a political update circulating Thursday, May 1, with sources indicating that the governor’s entry into the race carries direct implications for the current occupant of the seat. Orlu Zone Senator Osita Izunaso, the update suggested, would not be returning to the Red Chamber when the political dust settles.

Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi is separately said to be “strongly being penciled” for an unspecified role as part of the emerging political arrangement, though details of what position he is being positioned for were not made available.

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The nomination form purchases from Imo State’s three senatorial zones paint a picture of uneven interest in the 2027 race as of May 1. Orlu Zone has recorded one aspirant — Uzodimma, if the reports are accurate — while Okigwe Zone has attracted three and Owerri Zone four, making the state capital’s district the most contested of the three.

Uzodimma’s path to the Senate is not without precedent — he represented Orlu Zone in the upper chamber before his election as governor, meaning a return would be a restoration of a position he held rather than a reach for new ground. What would be genuinely new is the Senate Presidency ambition. If he secures the Orlu seat and arrives in the Red Chamber with sufficient support among incoming colleagues, political watchers say he could reshape the calculations around who leads the 10th Senate.

The political update that carried the information concluded with an unusual instruction — that “calls on this matter won’t be entertained” — suggesting the source had no intention of fielding further questions or clarifications about the disclosures.