APC primary: Caution your aides, Okorocha tells Uzodimma

A former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has asked his successor, Hope Uzodimma, to caution his aides against attacking the judiciary over a Federal High Court judgment which nullified his emergence as the All Progressives Congress candidate for Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 elections.

Okorocha urged Uzodimma to pursue his appeal up to the Supreme Court, rather than allow his supporters to denigrate the judiciary over the October 29 judgment delivered by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, which recognised him as the winner of the party’s May 18 senatorial primary.

The former governor spoke on Tuesday at the Federal High Court premises in Abuja, where he said he had gone to sign some documents at the court’s registry in connection with the appeal filed by Uzodimma against the judgment.

Reacting to comments credited to the governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff and the APC National Vice Chairman, who reportedly described the judgment as rubbish and procured, Okorocha condemned what he described as attempts to intimidate the judiciary.

He said, “I listened to the news yesterday and it was so horrible, so terrible, that Governor Hope’s aides, namely his Deputy Chief of Staff and the National Vice Chairman of the APC, could berate a judge, insult a judge.

“To use his words, he said the judgment was rubbish and procured, and that the judge should go and look at himself in the mirror. I think that is terrible. And the other one, who is called his Deputy Chief of Staff and whose wife is even a judge, could be insulting the judge because of a judgment.

“So, it means that whenever the judgment is for Hope, it is good, but whenever it is against him, the judiciary is evil.

“I think this is very uncivilised. I want him to caution his attack dogs and his people to refrain from insulting judges. It doesn’t represent this nation well, and I feel particularly hurt.”

The former governor maintained that the court’s decision should be respected, adding that Uzodimma had benefited from favourable court judgments in the past.
The former governor, however, expressed confidence in the Nigerian judiciary, saying he believed the right thing would be done.

The dispute followed the October 29 judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which nullified Uzodimma’s emergence as the APC candidate for Imo West Senatorial District.

Justice Egwuatu held that Okorocha secured the highest number of lawful votes in the party’s May 18 primary and was therefore entitled to the ticket.

The court consequently ordered the APC to submit Okorocha’s name to INEC as its candidate for the January 16, 2027 senatorial election.