Former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has criticised members of Governor Hope Uzodimma’s camp for their reaction to a court ruling that handed him the APC ticket for the Imo West Senatorial District race in 2027.
He urged Uzodimma to address the conduct of his associates and allow the legal battle to run its course, including further appeals to the Supreme Court, rather than permit attacks on the institution handling the dispute.
The controversy arose from a ruling issued on October 29 by Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which favoured Okorocha in the contest for the party’s senatorial nomination.
Okorocha made his position known on Tuesday while visiting the court’s Abuja premises. He explained that his appearance was connected to paperwork at the registry for the appeal lodged by Uzodimma against the decision.
The former governor took exception to remarks allegedly made by Uzodimma’s Deputy Chief of Staff and the APC National Vice Chairman, who reportedly branded the ruling rubbish and alleged that it had been procured.
Expressing his displeasure, Okorocha 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.”
Okorocha also argued that the judiciary should not be discredited simply because a verdict goes against a political interest. He recalled that Uzodimma had previously received court decisions in his favour and maintained that the same institution deserved respect when its rulings proved unfavourable.
He further expressed faith in the judicial process, saying he expected the dispute to receive a just resolution.
In the case, the court found that Okorocha recorded more valid votes than other contenders at the APC primary held on May 18, establishing his claim to the party’s nomination for Imo West.
Following that determination, the judge instructed the APC to transmit Okorocha’s details to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the senatorial contest fixed for January 16, 2027. The ruling displaced Uzodimma’s earlier emergence as the party’s nominee, prompting the ongoing appeal.
