Former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has denied reports that he was arrested by the Nigeria Police Force over allegations of criminal conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
Gatekeepers News reports that Okorocha’s denial contradicts the police account that he was arrested on Monday night at Reiz Continental Hotel in Abuja and released on bail after about an hour of interrogation.
The police spokesperson, Aniete Iniedu, told Channels Television that the former governor had been directed to return to the Force Headquarters on Tuesday for further questioning as investigations continued.
However, in a statement issued on Tuesday, Okorocha’s Chief Press Secretary and Special Adviser on Media, Sam Onwuemeodo, insisted that his principal was neither arrested nor granted bail.
“Okorocha was never arrested. There was no bail. There was no statement,” the aide said, accusing the Imo State Government of orchestrating what he described as a political witch-hunt.
Onwuemeodo also maintained that the court order reportedly authorising Okorocha’s arrest had been vacated by the same court on September 14, five days after it was issued.
The reported arrest is linked to a disputed document circulating on social media that purportedly named Okorocha as the winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary for Imo West District ahead of the 2027 general election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission’s Resident Electoral Commissioner in Imo State, Chukwuemeka Ibeziako, had petitioned the Department of State Services and the police over the document, describing it as fictitious.
In letters dated October 5 and 8, the electoral official said the document contradicted the authentic primary election report submitted to INEC’s national headquarters, which identified Governor Hope Uzodimma as the winner of the May 18 primary.
The disputed document reportedly listed Okorocha as the winner with 150,780 votes, while the original result showed Uzodimma scoring 230,464 votes and Okorocha receiving 1,098 votes.
INEC urged the security agencies to investigate the source and authenticity of the document, warning that its circulation could cause a breakdown of law and order in the state.
Okorocha has also challenged INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the APC candidate for the senatorial district in a suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
