The camp of a former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has denied reports that he was arrested by the police, challenging the Imo State Government to provide evidence of an arrest warrant it allegedly relied upon.
Okorocha’s Chief Press Secretary and Special Adviser on Media, Sam Onwuemeodo, described the report of the former governor’s arrest as false, insisting that no arrest was made and no bail was granted.
However, the Nigeria Police Force confirmed that Okorocha was arrested on Monday night at the REIZ Continental Hotel in Abuja and released on bail after about an hour of interrogation over allegations of criminal conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, said the former governor had been directed to return to the Force Headquarters for further questioning as investigations continued.
In a statement issued on Monday, titled ‘Arrest Warrant: We’ve Been Vindicated. Falsehood Has Never Prevailed Over Truth. Truth Is Sacred’, Onwuemeodo maintained that “His Excellency, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, was never arrested.”
The denial followed a statement by the Imo State Government, through its Commissioner for Information, Mbadiwe Emelumba, defending the arrest warrant reportedly issued against the former governor.
Onwuemeodo said the state government, in a statement titled ‘Bench Warrant: Okorocha’s Lies’, responded to the former governor’s demand that it produce the court order it had cited.
He said the government attached a court order dated September 9, 2026, to its statement but maintained that the same order had been vacated by the issuing court five days later.
In the statement, Onwuemeodo said, “On Monday, October 12, 2026, the Imo State Government, through the Information Commissioner, Mr Mbadiwe Emelumba, issued a very lengthy press statement, captioned, ‘Bench Warrant: Okorocha’s lies’.
“The release was in response to the earlier challenge we had thrown at them to produce their much-celebrated court order. They attached the same court order they had referred to, dated September 9, 2026, to the press release.
“Later, the same day, Monday, October 12, 2026, they came up with another cock-and-bull story that the former governor, ‘Owelle Rochas Okorocha, had been arrested’.”
Onwuemeodo maintained that the court order relied upon by the state government was issued on September 9, 2026, but was subsequently vacated by the same court on September 14.
He questioned the basis for relying on the order to justify the reported arrest in October, insisting that it was no longer valid.
“The court order they had used to deceive the general public was dated September 9, 2026. The same court order was vacated by the same court on September 14, 2026.
“You then ask, a court order issued on September 9, 2026, and vacated on September 14, 2026, by the same court that issued it, could it be alive in October 2026? The answer is expectedly no,” the statement read.
The CPS further said Emelumba had clarified that the order had no connection with petitions written by the Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Chukwuemeka Ibeziako, dated October 8, 2026.
He said the clarification supported Okorocha’s position that the court order and the electoral petitions were separate matters.
The former governor’s camp demanded an apology from the state government, accusing it of misleading Nigerians over the status of the court order.
“We still ask for an apology from them, for deceiving Nigerians, both at home and in diaspora. In fact, for deceiving the whole world, which has become a global village. But this is not good for Imo and her people,” Onwuemeodo said.
Reacting specifically to the police report that Okorocha had been arrested and released after one hour, the CPS challenged the authorities to prove that the incident occurred.
“Their latest story that Owelle Okorocha was arrested and released after one hour is also not true. And we equally stand to be contradicted.
“They tell lies. We tell the truth. The whole truth. And nothing but the truth. They market falsehood. We market facts. The truth. Okorocha was never arrested. There was no bail. There was no statement. And let them prove us wrong,” he added.
The police, however, maintained that Okorocha was arrested following allegations of criminal conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
The arrest reportedly followed his failure to honour previous police invitations for questioning.
He was initially invited to the Force Headquarters on September 2, but the appointment was rescheduled to September 8 at the request of his lawyers. He reportedly failed to honour the rescheduled invitation.
The police said investigations were ongoing, although the details of the allegations had yet to be fully disclosed.
Onwuemeodo also accused the state government of making statements capable of influencing proceedings in a matter already before a court of competent jurisdiction.
“The reason His Excellency, Owelle Okorocha, has remained quiet in this matter is that all these stampedes and lies could be adjudged sub judice. And deliberate efforts to arm-twist the court, which is very unfortunate,” he said.
The latest exchange comes against the backdrop of the political dispute between Okorocha and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma over the All Progressives Congress primary for the Imo West Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general election.
Uzodimma was declared the winner of the primary and recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission, which maintained that the official results showed that the governor polled 230,464 votes, while Okorocha received 1,098 votes.
However, a separate document subsequently circulated, purporting to show that Okorocha won the primary with 150,780 votes.
INEC’s Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Chukwuemeka Ibeziako, petitioned the police and the Department of State Services to investigate the disputed document, which the commission described as fictitious.
The petitions alleged that the document contradicted the authentic primary results submitted to INEC. The allegations are subject to investigation and have not, in themselves, established criminal liability.
Okorocha filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, challenging the outcome of the primary and INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the party’s candidate.
The former governor asked the court to determine whether the commission was right to recognise Uzodimma as the winner, relying on the disputed primary results and other issues raised in his suit.
The dispute has also raised questions about Uzodimma’s eligibility to contest the 2027 senatorial election while serving as governor, with Okorocha asking the court to consider the relevant constitutional provisions.
Onwuemeodo maintained that the current controversy should be resolved through the judicial process rather than public accusations.
He said Okorocha had refrained from making further comments because the matter was before a court, warning that public statements could amount to attempts to pressure the judiciary.
The police investigation into the allegations remained ongoing as of the time of filing this report.