Former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has accused his successor, Governor Hope Uzodimma, of relying on manipulated election results, alleging that the governor has never legitimately won an election.
Okorocha made the claims during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday night, shortly after the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered its judgment on the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary for Imo West.
The former governor said he was familiar with Uzodimma’s political history and promised to provide more details about previous elections in which he alleged that the governor's victories were disputed.
“Hope has never won an election in his life. From the one that he got fourth position, and time will tell, I’ll give you the history. I have them at the tips of my fingers,” he said.
Okorocha Accuses Uzodimma Of Manipulating Election Results
Speaking about the disputed APC primary, Okorocha alleged that Uzodimma's approach to elections involved having one individual prepare results in a private location.
He claimed that the same method was used in the Imo West senatorial primary, which became the subject of the court case.
“What Hope does is just get one person in one room to write all the results like he did in this primary now, which is what is in contestation,” he said.
When asked to provide further clarification on the allegation, Okorocha maintained that the court had supported his position through its judgment.
“The court says so today, that all the results he presented was written by one person. Who wrote it? If it’s written in your favour, you must be aware of it,” he said.
Former Governor Revisits Uzodimma’s Emergence As Governor
Okorocha also linked his allegations to the circumstances surrounding Uzodimma’s emergence as governor of Imo State following a Supreme Court judgment.
He referred to the disputed election figures, alleging that 388 votes were written by one person and subsequently presented to the court.
“That same way, they wrote 388 votes by one person. But because the police adopted it and presented it to the court, and there was nobody who argued against that presentation of those 388, when he became governor from number four to number one, the hands of the judges were tied,” he said.
The former governor insisted that the judiciary did not deliberately favour Uzodimma, arguing instead that the judges were constrained by the documents and evidence presented before them.
“So it’s not true that the judiciary in any way favoured Hope. But it was because the hands of judges were tied, based on the facts of documents provided, for which nobody argued,” Okorocha said.
Court Rules In Okorocha’s Favour Over APC Primary
The interview followed a judgment delivered on Thursday by Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The court held that Okorocha won the APC primary conducted on May 18 for the Imo West Senatorial District and barred Uzodimma from presenting himself as the party's candidate for the seat.
The judge also directed the APC to submit Okorocha’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The ruling has intensified the political disagreement between the former governor and his successor over the party's senatorial ticket ahead of the 2027 general election.
Okorocha's claims about Uzodimma's previous electoral victories remain allegations made by the former governor during the television interview.
