Senator Rochas Okorocha has sued the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the publication of the name of Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Imo West Senatorial District election scheduled for 2027.
The applicant, who is also a two-term governor of Imo State, posed five questions for determination.
He wants the court to determine whether INEC was not bound by the reports of its officers who monitored the APC primary conducted on May 18 for the nomination of its candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general election, in which he emerged the winner.
He also wants the court to determine whether, having regard to the provisions of Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the publication of Uzodimma’s name by INEC on Aug. 1 as the winner of the APC primary for the Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 poll was not wrongful.
Okorocha, therefore, sought 10 reliefs should the questions be answered in his favour.
The former Imo governor urged the court to declare that it was unconstitutional for INEC to publish, as it did on Aug. 18, Uzodimma’s name as APC’s candidate when he was not the person who emerged as the winner of the primary election conducted on May 18.
He sought an order setting aside or voiding the publication made by INEC on Aug. 1, which declared Uzodimma as the person who won the highest number of votes in the APC primary election held on May 18 to contest as the preferred candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District in 2027.
Okorocha prayed the court for an order directing INEC to recognise and publish his name as the duly nominated candidate of the APC to contest the poll.
He also sought an order prohibiting Uzodimma, whether by himself or through the APC or anyone, howsoever named, from parading himself as the nominated candidate of the party to contest the election.
He equally sought an order awarding costs against the respondents, as the court may deem appropriate in all the circumstances of the suit.
In the affidavit attached to the suit, which was deposed to by Amen Rochas, he said Okorocha is his biological father.
He said that, by virtue of his position as Okorocha’s Personal Assistant on Political Matters, he was very conversant with the facts and circumstances stated by him.
He said the applicant, Okorocha, who was born on Sept. 22, 1962, is a registered, financial card-carrying member of the APC.
He stated that Uzodimma’s tenure in office as governor will expire at midnight on Jan. 14, 2028, having taken the oath of office and been sworn in on Jan. 15, 2024.
He said Uzodinma, whose tenure would not have expired by 2027 when the Senate will be inaugurated after the general election, also purchased an Expression of Interest (EoI) and nomination forms for the party’s senatorial candidate.
He said his father, Uzodimma, together with many other APC aspirants vying for tickets to be its flagbearers for various political offices in Nigeria, were all screened and cleared to participate in the direct primaries.
He said the National Working Committee (NWC) directed that the results should be forwarded to the party’s national secretariat, as the same would be announced at the national secretariat.
He alleged that the direct primary election was conducted by the APC on May 18 and his father emerged victorious by scoring 150,780 votes, while Uzodimma scored 102,158 votes.
