Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma has dismissed speculation that he will lose his All Progressives Congress senatorial ticket following recent court judgment.
Speaking on Sunday after attending mass at the Government House Chapel in Owerri, the state capital, Uzodimma addressed the rumours directly.
“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,” he said.
Furthermore, the governor declared that his political network will not support any alternative party in the upcoming elections and urged residents to cast their ballots for the APC.
“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.
Additionally, Hope Uzodimma listed the APC candidates he wants the public to back in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
He appointed Patrick Ndubueze as the party’s Okigwe zone senatorial candidate.
Backstory…
The governor’s remarks follow an Abuja Federal High Court directive ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission to drop him as the All Progressives Congress candidate for the Imo West senatorial district and substitute former state governor Rochas Okorocha.
Presiding Justice Obiora Egwuatu ruled that Okorocha secured the highest number of votes during the May 18 APC primary election.
Despite citing substantial documentation proving the governor did not win the primary, the court rebuked INEC for validating Uzodimma’s candidacy.
Okorocha, who governed Imo State from 2011 to 2019, initiated legal action in August to challenge the electoral commission’s recognition of Uzodimma as the party’s standard-bearer.
Responding to the judgment, Okorocha commended President Bola Tinubu and hailed the ruling as a victory for the constituents of Imo West, claiming the administration no longer supported the current political status quo in the state.
Additionally, he lauded the judiciary, asserting that the verdict proved justice is no longer for sale to the highest bidder.
Read Also: Court Removes Uzodinma as APC Senatorial Candidate for Imo West, Names Rochas Okorocha
