THE NIGERIA Police Force has arrested former Imo State Governor and former Senator Rochas Okorocha in Abuja over allegations of criminal conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
Okorocha was arrested on Monday night, October 12, at the REIZ Continental Hotel in central Abuja, according to the police. Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Aniete Iniedu, confirmed the development to Channels Television.
Iniedu said the former governor was released on bail after about an hour of interrogation and was directed to return to the Force Headquarters on Tuesday for further questioning as investigations continue.
The arrest followed what the police described as Okorocha’s failure to honour earlier invitations in connection with the investigation. He was initially invited to appear at the Force Headquarters on September 2, but the appointment was reportedly moved to September 8 after a request from his lawyers. Police said he subsequently failed to attend the rescheduled meeting.
The latest development comes amid a controversy surrounding a disputed document relating to the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary for Imo West.
The APC held its primary for the district on May 18, with Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma emerging as the winner. The result was subsequently recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
However, another document later surfaced purporting to show that Okorocha had won the primary. According to PREMIUM TIMES, the disputed document credited Okorocha with 150,780 votes, while the official result showed Uzodimma with 230,464 votes and Okorocha with 1,098 votes.
INEC’s Imo State office subsequently petitioned the police and the State Security Service (SSS) in October over the disputed document, asking the security agencies to investigate its authenticity and source. The commission maintained that the authentic result identified Uzodimma as the winner and that the APC had submitted his name as its candidate.
Okorocha, however, has disputed aspects of the claims surrounding the investigation. Before his arrest, he rejected reports that a court had issued a warrant for his arrest and challenged those circulating the report to produce the alleged order. His media aide, Sam Onwuemeodo, also said the politician had not been the subject of a petition directly filed by INEC against him, maintaining that the commission’s correspondence concerned a document allegedly portraying Okorocha as the winner of the APC primary.
Okorocha, who served as Imo State governor from 2011 to 2019 and later represented Imo West in the Senate, has also instituted legal proceedings challenging aspects of INEC’s handling of the disputed primary result.
The police have not, at this stage, publicly disclosed detailed evidence supporting the allegations against the former governor. His arrest and questioning are part of an ongoing investigation and do not by themselves establish criminal liability.
The former governor is expected to return to the Force Headquarters for further questioning as investigators continue their inquiry.
