APC PRIMARIES: UZODIMMA CLINCHES SENATE RETURN TICKET, DEFEATS OKOR0CHA

May 19, 2026 • Dons Eze • 2 min read

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo, on Monday, emerged the candidate of APC Imo West Senatorial District after polling 230,464 votes.

Retired Rear Adm. Williams Kayoda, the Chairman and Returning Officer of the 2026 Imo APC National Assembly Primary Election Committee, declared the result at Orlu Local Government Area headquarters.

Kayoda said Uzodimma defeated former governor of the state, Sen. Rochas Okorocha, who garnered 1,098 votes at the party primary election held across 12 local government areas of the senatorial zone.

He said “I hereby formally declare that his Excellency, Sen. Hope Uzodimma, has satisfied all the requirements of the party constitution, the guidelines as well as the relevant laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Shehu Sani wins APC Senatorial ticket in Kaduna Central
Ogun: Gov Abiodun clinches senate ticket, deputy steps down
“Having scored the highest number of valid votes of 230,464 votes, he is hereby declared the winner of the APC Imo West Senatorial District Primary election.”

Kayoda had also declared Sen. Patrick Ndubueze winner of the Imo North Senatorial District primary election after polling 108,862 votes to defeat Sen. Ifeanyi Ararume who scored 79 votes.

Earlier, Uzodimma had expressed confidence in APC’s strength to emerge victorious in the 2027 general elections and described the primary election as “peaceful, transparent and widely accepted by party members across the state.
“You can see how committed the party members are and the loyalty they have shown since we started this primary.”

He said APC had continued to grow stronger in the state, particularly at the grassroots.

The Oru East Local Government Chairman, Mr Ikenna Adikibe, commended party members for what he described as “their maturity, discipline and orderly conduct throughout the exercise.”

Adikibe said the process was devoid of violence, destruction or electoral crisis across the state.

“The exercise was peaceful. People conducted themselves appropriately and we thank God that there was no ugly incident reported anywhere.
“Overall, it was a successful outing,” he said.

Dons Eze

DONS EZE, PhD, Political Philosopher and Journalist of over four decades standing, worked in several newspaper houses across the country, and rose to the positions of Editor and General Manager. A UNESCO Fellow in Journalism, Dr. Dons Eze, a prolific writer and author of many books, attended several courses on Journalism and Communication in both Nigeria and overseas, including a Postgraduate Course on Journalism at Warsaw, Poland; Strategic Communication and Practical Communication Approach at RIPA International, London, the United Kingdom, among others.