Human rights lawyer and former National Human Rights Commission chairman Chidi Odinkalu has questioned whether a wider political struggle lies behind the dispute over the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial ticket for Imo West ahead of the January 16, 2027, election.
Odinkalu reacted after a Federal High Court ruled against Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma in the contest for the party’s ticket, declaring former governor Rochas Okorocha the winner of the APC primary.
In the judgment delivered on Thursday, Justice Obiora Egwuatu ordered Uzodinma to stop presenting himself as the party’s senatorial candidate after finding that he had not won the primary conducted on May 18.
According to Odinkalu’s account of the ruling, the court held that evidence before it showed Okorocha secured the majority of votes cast in the primary, which was conducted by the APC and monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The court also directed the party to submit Okorocha’s name to INEC as its candidate for the district.
Reacting to the development, Odinkalu raised questions about whether the legal dispute was connected to broader political tensions between the Rainbow Coalition and APC governors.
In his post, he wrote, “Why does this feel like #ProxyWar between #RainbowCoalition vs. @OfficialAPCNg Governors?”
The ruling marks a fresh development in the battle for the Imo West ticket, following an earlier position by INEC’s Imo State office that its authentic report identified Uzodinma as the winner of the primary. The commission had also petitioned security agencies over a separate document that purported to declare Okorocha the winner.
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