Tinubu Has Broken Imo’s Shackles, Okorocha Says After Court Ruling

Former Imo State governor Rochas Okorocha praised President Bola Tinubu after the Federal High Court recognised him as the APC candidate for Imo West Senatorial District. Justice Obiora Egwuatu ruled that Okorocha won the May 18, 2026 primary and ordered the party to submit his name to INEC for the January 16, 2027 election, while directing Governor Hope Uzodimma to stop presenting himself as the party’s candidate. Okorocha called the judgment a victory for Imo residents and said the state’s “shackles” had been broken, thanking Tinubu without providing evidence of presidential involvement. He also questioned documents claiming Uzodimma emerged by consensus and listing the primary date as May 16 rather than May 18.