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Former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has declared himself the dominant force in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, insisting that he remains central to the party’s structure ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Okorocha made the declaration during an interview with Arise News on Thursday, dismissing claims that he had lost control of the party to forces aligned with Governor Hope Uzodimma.
“Rochas is the APC in Imo State. I was a founding father of this party,” he said.
The former governor also claimed that he played a significant role in the formation of the APC, insisting that his contributions shaped the party’s identity in Imo State.
“The structure of APC in Imo State is Rochas. And I gave the name APC,” he said.
His remarks come amid a dispute with Uzodimma over the APC’s senatorial ticket for Imo West ahead of the 2027 elections.
The disagreement intensified after the Federal High Court ruled in Okorocha’s favour, recognising him as the winner of the party’s senatorial primary and directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish his name as the party’s candidate.
Reacting to reports that the Imo State Government might challenge the judgment, Okorocha questioned why the government should intervene in what he described as a personal electoral contest between him and Uzodimma.
“What does Imo State Government have to do with the election between me and Hope Uzodimma as a person? It’s not Imo State Government contesting for election, it’s Hope Uzodimma,” he said.
Okorocha also dismissed suggestions that influential figures within the APC were mobilising against him, describing them as associates of the governor rather than a formidable opposition within the party.
“There are no forces, these are what I call the PAs of Hope, that he could put together and say, take chairman,” he said.
He further questioned the legitimacy of the party structures allegedly being used to challenge his influence, asking whether any congress had been held to establish their leadership.
“Has there been any election? Was there any congress conducted? There was none,” he said.
The former governor maintained that the dispute was not evidence of the APC’s weakness in Imo State but a disagreement over who controlled the party’s political machinery and communicated its message to voters.
He expressed confidence that his relationship with the people of the state would help him mobilise support for the APC and President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.
The latest exchange highlights the growing political tension within the APC in Imo State as Okorocha and Uzodimma remain at odds over the party’s senatorial ticket and leadership structure.
