The Deputy Chief of Staff to Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, Chief Enyinna Onuegbu, has insisted that former governor Rochas Okorocha did not participate in the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for Imo West Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Onuegbu made the claim during an appearance on Arise Television, where he responded to Okorocha’s earlier comments about a Federal High Court judgment declaring him the winner of the disputed primary.
He argued that Okorocha was neither recognised as an aspirant by party members nor physically present in Imo State during activities leading up to the primary election.
The governor’s aide also questioned the documents presented by Okorocha in court, claiming that both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the APC committee responsible for conducting the primary disputed their authenticity.
According to him, the conflicting documents should have been examined through oral evidence and cross-examination of witnesses rather than being resolved solely through the documents submitted by the parties.
Onuegbu further challenged the timing of Okorocha’s legal action, arguing that the Electoral Act requires disputes arising from party primaries to be filed within 14 days. He noted that Okorocha instituted his case 87 days after the exercise.
He also accused the former governor of failing to use the party’s internal complaint and appeal procedures before approaching the court.
Onuegbu maintained that Governor Uzodimma did not conduct the primary election or personally announce its result, describing him as one of the aspirants who participated in the exercise.
The aide said the governor’s camp would challenge the Federal High Court judgment at the Court of Appeal, insisting that the matter was not yet settled.
The dispute followed a ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja declaring Okorocha the winner of the APC primary for Imo West and directing the party to submit his name to INEC as its candidate for the 2027 senatorial election.
