Rochas Okorocha says 90 per cent of Nigerian politicians would not hold office under true democracy, citing imposed candidates and electoral irregularities.

Former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has said 90 per cent of Nigerian politicians would not remain in office if democracy were practised as it should be, arguing that many officeholders did not emerge through the genuine choice of voters.

Speaking during an interview with Arise News on Thursday, Okorocha made the remark while reacting to the Federal High Court judgment nullifying Governor Hope Uzodimma’s emergence as the All Progressives Congress candidate for Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 elections and directing the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise him as the winner of the party’s May 18 primary.

“If democracy is practiced the way it should be practiced, 90% of people holding office in Nigeria cannot hold office,” he said.

Okorocha argued that political candidates were often imposed on voters rather than emerging through a credible democratic process.

“Most of them are not truly the choice of people. These are people who are imposed, opportunists, who find their way,” he said.

The former governor said the court judgment was significant beyond his personal political contest, arguing that it raised broader questions about the integrity of party primaries and the electoral process.

“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.

Okorocha also maintained that the evidence supporting his position was clear, saying, “The facts are too glaring.”

When asked about conflicting election records, including figures that credited Uzodimma with 230,464 votes and Okorocha with 1,098 votes, alongside another document showing Okorocha with 150,780 votes, he defended his position and referred to documents he said he obtained from INEC.

He said he obtained certified documents from the electoral commission on July 22, 2026, and questioned the emergence of another document dated August 22, 2026, which he attributed to Uzodimma.

Uzodimma has said he will appeal the judgment.

Okorocha said his concern extended beyond being declared the winner of the primary, stressing that the issue was about the people.

“It’s about the people,” he said. (AriseNews TV)