Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has dismissed reports suggesting that he would relinquish his 2027 senatorial ambition for another candidate, insisting that he remains the All Progressives Congress candidate for Imo West.
The governor maintained that claims he would surrender his ticket were false, despite a recent Federal High Court judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission to replace his name with that of former governor Rochas Okorocha.
The court, sitting in Abuja on October 29, 2026, ordered the substitution following a suit challenging Uzodimma’s emergence as the APC candidate for Imo West Senatorial District.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu reportedly based the ruling on the grounds that Uzodimma did not win the party’s primary election conducted on May 18.
However, the APC in Imo State rejected the judgment, maintaining that Uzodimma remained its candidate for the senatorial district.
Speaking on Sunday after attending Mass at the Government House Chapel in Owerri, the governor described suggestions that he would hand over his ticket to another aspirant as misleading.
“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,” he said.
Uzodimma also urged residents to support the APC and campaign for its candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections, insisting that the party remained the platform through which they would contest.
“Go and campaign for the party, our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). There is no other political party we are going with.
“For house of assembly, it is APC. For the house of representatives, it is APC,” the governor said.
He further identified the APC’s senatorial candidates across the three zones of the state, naming Patrick Ndubueze for Okigwe, himself for Orlu and Alex Mbata for Owerri.
“For senate, your senator in Okigwe zone is Patrick Ndubueze, in Orlu zone it is my humble self (Hope Uzodimma), and in Owerri zone it is (Alex) Mbata,” he said.
Meanwhile, Okorocha had welcomed the court judgment, describing it as a victory for the judiciary, democracy and the people of Imo State.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Sam Onwuemodo, the former governor also commended President Bola Tinubu for creating an enabling environment for the judiciary and other institutions to function effectively.
“This judgment, to say the least, is a resounding victory for the nation’s judiciary. It is a victory for the nation’s fast-growing democracy. It is an outstanding victory for the nation’s Constitution, as amended.
He added, “It is a remarkable victory for all lovers of what is right and haters of what is wrong. It is a notable victory for posterity and history. Finally, it is a victory for Imo people in general, and Imo West Senatorial District people in particular.”
