Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has declared that he will not surrender his All Progressives Congress senatorial ticket to anyone ahead of the 2027 general elections, dismissing suggestions that he could lose the party’s nomination to another aspirant.
Uzodimma made the declaration on Sunday after attending Mass at the Government House Chapel in Owerri, the Imo State capital.
The governor was reacting to speculation surrounding his senatorial ambition following a recent Federal High Court judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission to remove his name as the APC candidate for Imo West Senatorial District and replace it with that of former governor, Rochas Okorocha.
Speaking to supporters after the church service, Uzodimma insisted that nobody would take the ticket away from him.
He said, “If they tell you that I will hold this ticket and somebody will collect it and give it to another, tell the person it is a lie.”
The governor also urged residents of the state to support the APC and participate in campaigning for the party’s candidates in the forthcoming elections.
He maintained that his political camp would not support any other political party, describing the APC as the platform through which they would pursue their political interests.
Uzodimma further identified the party’s preferred senatorial candidates across the three senatorial districts of Imo State.
He named Senator Patrick Ndubueze as the APC candidate for Okigwe Zone, himself for Orlu Zone and Alex Mbata for Owerri Zone.
“For House of Assembly, it is APC. For House of Representatives, it is APC,” he told the gathering.
The governor’s declaration comes days after a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered INEC to replace his name with that of Okorocha on the list of APC senatorial candidates for Imo West.
The presiding judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, ruled that Okorocha secured the majority of votes during the APC senatorial primary election conducted on May 18, 2026.
The court faulted INEC for recognising Uzodimma as the party’s candidate despite documentary evidence presented before it indicating that the former governor had won the primary election.
Okorocha, who governed Imo State between 2011 and 2019, had approached the court in August to challenge INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the APC candidate for the district.
Following the judgment, Okorocha described the decision as a victory for the people of Imo West and commended the judiciary for what he considered a step towards justice.
He also thanked President Bola Tinubu, claiming that the Presidency was no longer supportive of the situation in Imo State.
The dispute has further heightened political tensions within the APC in Imo State as both political camps maintain their positions ahead of the 2027 elections.
The legal battle is expected to continue as the parties pursue their respective positions over the disputed senatorial nomination.
Leave a comment