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The Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Youth Wing has thrown its weight behind Governor Hope Uzodimma in the lingering controversy over the party’s senatorial ticket for Imo West (Orlu Zone), insisting that the governor remains the rightful candidate.
The state APC Youth Leader, Comrade Franklin Chukwuemeka Ibeh, stated this while addressing journalists in Owerri, the state capital on Friday where he dismissed the Thursday’s Federal High Court judgment recognising former Governor Rochas Okorocha as the party’s candidate for the Imo West senatorial district for the January 16- 2027 poll.
Ibeh maintained that the party’s youth and grassroots structures in Imo State do not recognise Okorocha as the authentic candidate, arguing that he was absent from the senatorial primary election and did not participate in the mobilisation and electoral process across Imo West (Orlu Zone).
According to him, the senatorial ticket should be determined by the outcome of the party’s primary election rather than what he described as an attempt to secure political legitimacy through court proceedings.
The APC youth leader also faulted the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, presided over by Justice Obiora Egwuatu which declared Okorocha as the party’s candidate for the senatorial election, expressing confidence that the decision would be overturned on appeal.
Ibeh said the state chapter of the party was already taking the necessary legal steps to challenge the ruling and ensure that Uzodimma’s name is restored as the party’s candidate before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The youth leader further insisted that Uzodimma emerged victorious through a transparent primary election, which, according to him, witnessed substantial participation by party members across the local government areas in the Imo West Senatorial District.
He called on party faithful and supporters in the zone to remain calm, united and committed to the party while the legal process runs its course.
Ibeh also cautioned Okorocha against making statements or taking actions capable of threatening the prevailing peace and political stability in the state.
He stressed that the APC youth leadership remained committed to protecting what it described as the mandate freely given to Uzodimma by party members in Imo West senatorial District otherwise known as Orlu zone.
The dispute over the Imo West senatorial ticket has generated political tension within the Imo APC, with both camps maintaining different positions on the legitimacy of the party’s candidate.
While the Federal High Court ruling has strengthened Okorocha’s legal position, the Imo State APC leadership and its youth wing have indicated their determination to challenge the decision through the appellate process.
The final determination of the dispute is expected to rest on the outcome of the ongoing legal proceedings.
