Former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has claimed that about 90 per cent of politicians currently holding public office in Nigeria would not have emerged if democracy were practised in accordance with its principles.
Okorocha made the assertion during an interview on Arise News on Thursday while reacting to the Federal High Court judgment in Abuja concerning the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the Imo West Senatorial District.
The court had nullified Governor Hope Uzodimma’s emergence as the APC candidate for the senatorial district and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Okorocha as the winner of the May 18 primary election.
According to the former governor, the judgment has brought attention to what he described as the problem of candidates being imposed on voters rather than emerging through credible democratic processes.
“If democracy is practised the way it should be practised, 90% of people holding office in Nigeria cannot hold office,” Okorocha said.
He further alleged that many politicians occupying public positions were not genuinely chosen by the electorate.
“Most of them are not truly the choice of people. These are people who are imposed, opportunists, who find their way,” he stated.
Okorocha maintained that his satisfaction with the court ruling was not simply because he had been declared the winner of the primary, but because he believed the judgment had addressed issues surrounding the information circulated about the election.
“My joy is not on the basis that I was declared a winner, but for the fact that so many misinformations paraded in the news media,” he said.
He also expressed confidence in the evidence presented in support of his case, declaring that the facts were clear.
“The facts are too glaring.”
Okorocha Questions Conflicting Primary Election Results
During the interview, Okorocha was asked to address conflicting figures reportedly associated with the APC primary election.
One document reportedly credited Uzodimma with 230,464 votes and Okorocha with 1,098 votes, while another showed Okorocha as having secured 150,780 votes.
Responding, the former governor referred to documents he said he obtained from INEC.
He claimed that he collected certified copies of the relevant documents from the electoral commission on July 22, 2026, and questioned the appearance of another document dated August 22, 2026, which he linked to Uzodimma.
The dispute over the primary election results formed part of the legal disagreement that eventually led to the Federal High Court judgment.
Uzodimma Plans Appeal
Governor Hope Uzodimma has vowed to challenge the judgment at the appellate court.
However, Okorocha insisted that his interest in the matter went beyond securing the APC ticket or being recognised as the winner of the primary election.
When asked about his position following the ruling, he maintained that the people remained his priority.
“It’s about the people,” he said.
The legal battle over the Imo West APC senatorial ticket is expected to continue as Uzodimma pursues his appeal, while the court's decision has further intensified the political contest surrounding the district ahead of the 2027 elections.
