Uzodimma: I Am APC Candidate For Orlu, Ndubueze For Okigwe, Mbata For Owerri

Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has publicly named the three men he says will fly the flag of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the three senatorial districts of Imo State, placing himself at the centre of the party’s ticket for Orlu Zone while presenting Patrick Ndubueze for Okigwe Zone and Alex Mbata for Owerri Zone.

Uzodimma made the declaration on Sunday after attending a church service at the Government House Chapel in Owerri, where he used the gathering to speak directly to residents and supporters about the forthcoming elections and to urge them to remain firmly behind the APC at every level of the contest.

The governor was emphatic that his own senatorial ambition was not negotiable, insisting that nobody can take the party’s nomination away from him despite the growing controversy surrounding the Imo West ticket and the recent court decision that has thrown the race into fresh uncertainty.

“If they tell you that I will hold this ticket and somebody will collect it and give it to another, tell the person it is a lie,” the governor said, in a direct response to suggestions that he could be forced to surrender the ticket to another aspirant.

He declared that his political camp would not support any party other than the APC, urging residents to campaign for the ruling party at all levels and to reject any attempt to divide their loyalty ahead of the elections.

“Go and campaign for the party, our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). There is no other political party we are going with,” he said, reinforcing his message that the APC remains the only political platform for his supporters in Imo State.

Uzodimma Names The Three Senatorial Candidates

Uzodimma then moved to name the APC candidates he expects residents to support in the legislative elections, leaving no doubt about how he wants the senatorial map of Imo State to look when voters go to the polls.

He identified Patrick Ndubueze as the party’s senatorial candidate for Okigwe Zone, himself for Orlu Zone and Alex Mbata for Owerri Zone, a line-up he presented as the settled position of the party in the state.

“For house of assembly, it is APC. For house of representatives, it is APC,” he said, before turning specifically to the senatorial contests across the three zones.

He continued: “For senate, your senator in Okigwe zone is Patrick Ndubueze, in Orlu zone it is my humble self (Hope Uzodimma), and in Owerri zone it is (Alex) Mbata.”

The governor’s declaration comes days after a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove his name as the APC candidate for Imo West Senatorial District and replace it with that of former governor, Rochas Okorocha.

Court Order Sparks Fresh Battle Over Imo West

Recall that Justice Obiora Egwuatu ruled that Okorocha secured the majority of votes in the APC senatorial primary held on May 18, a finding that directly challenged the basis on which Uzodimma’s name had been forwarded as the party’s candidate.

The court faulted INEC for recognising Uzodimma’s nomination despite what the judge described as overwhelming documentary evidence that the governor did not win the primary, raising serious questions about how the nomination process was handled.

Okorocha had approached the court in August, challenging INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the party’s candidate, and the judgment has now become the central point of dispute in the Imo West senatorial race.

Following the judgment, the former governor described the ruling as a victory for Imo West residents and commended the judiciary for what he presented as a courageous and principled decision.

He also thanked President Bola Tinubu, claiming that the Presidency was no longer supportive of the situation in Imo State, and said the judgment showed that “justice is no longer for sale to the highest bidder”.