The political battle between former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha and his successor, Hope Uzodimma, over the All Progressives Congress ticket for Imo West Senatorial District has intensified following a police investigation into a disputed document purporting to show the outcome of the party’s primary election.
The controversy has also triggered conflicting accounts over Okorocha’s reported arrest in Abuja, with the police maintaining that he was arrested and released on bail over allegations of criminal conspiracy, forgery and impersonation, while the former governor’s camp insists that no arrest took place.
The dispute centres on the APC primary for Imo West Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general elections, in which Uzodimma was declared the winner and recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
According to the results cited by INEC, Uzodimma polled 230,464 votes, while Okorocha received 1,098 votes.
However, another document subsequently circulated, purporting to show that Okorocha won the primary with 150,780 votes, creating a dispute over the authenticity of the competing records.
INEC’s Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Chukwuemeka Ibeziako, reportedly petitioned the police and the Department of State Services to investigate the disputed document, which the electoral commission described as fictitious.
The petitions alleged that the document contradicted the authentic results submitted to INEC. The allegations have yet to be conclusively established, and the police investigation is ongoing.
The controversy took another turn on Monday when the Nigeria Police Force confirmed that Okorocha had been arrested at the REIZ Continental Hotel in Abuja and released on bail after about an hour of interrogation.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, said the former governor was being investigated over alleged criminal conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
The police also said Okorocha had been directed to return to the Force Headquarters for further questioning as investigations continued.
The reported arrest followed previous police invitations, which Okorocha allegedly failed to honour. He was initially invited to appear at the Force Headquarters on September 2, but the appointment was reportedly rescheduled to September 8 at the request of his lawyers.
However, Okorocha’s Chief Press Secretary and Special Adviser on Media, Sam Onwuemeodo, rejected the police account, insisting that the former governor was never arrested and that no bail was granted.
In a statement titled, ‘Arrest Warrant: We’ve Been Vindicated. Falsehood Has Never Prevailed Over Truth. Truth Is Sacred’, Onwuemeodo challenged the Imo State Government to produce evidence supporting its account of the arrest.
He also questioned the validity of a court order the state government reportedly relied upon in defending the action against the former governor.
According to Onwuemeodo, the order was issued on September 9 but was subsequently vacated by the same court on September 14, making it invalid for use in October.
“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,” he said.
The media aide further argued that the state government had failed to establish a connection between the court order and the petitions submitted by the Resident Electoral Commissioner on October 8.
He demanded an apology from the state government, accusing it of misleading the public over the status of the court order and the circumstances surrounding the reported arrest.
“Their latest story that Owelle Rochas Okorocha was arrested and released after one hour is also not true. And we equally stand to be contradicted,” Onwuemeodo said.
He added, “Okorocha was never arrested. There was no bail. There was no statement. And let them prove us wrong.”
The Imo State Government, through its Commissioner for Information, Mbadiwe Emelumba, had earlier defended the reported arrest warrant in a statement titled ‘Bench Warrant: Okorocha’s Lies’.
The government attached a copy of the court order dated September 9 to its statement, prompting Okorocha’s camp to question why the document was being cited when, according to the former governor’s aide, it had already been vacated.
The disagreement has further widened the political rift between Okorocha and Uzodimma, whose relationship has been strained by competing interests within the APC in Imo State.
Okorocha, who governed Imo State from 2011 to 2019, is challenging the outcome of the senatorial primary and INEC’s recognition of Uzodimma as the party’s candidate.
The former governor instituted a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, asking the court to determine whether INEC acted lawfully in recognising Uzodimma as the winner of the primary.
He is also asking the court to consider constitutional provisions concerning Uzodimma’s eligibility to contest the senatorial election while serving as governor.
The outcome of the suit could shape the next stage of the dispute over the APC ticket, although the court’s eventual decision and the outcome of the police investigation remain pending.
Okorocha’s camp has maintained that the matter should be resolved through the judicial process rather than public exchanges between the former governor and the state government.
Onwuemeodo warned that public comments on the dispute could amount to attempts to influence proceedings in a matter already before a court.
“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 police have yet to publicly disclose the full details of the allegations against Okorocha, while the former governor’s camp continues to deny the reported arrest.
The competing claims have left the disputed primary results, the authenticity of the document under investigation and the circumstances surrounding the reported arrest as central issues in the unfolding political and legal battle ahead of the 2027 elections.
