Okorocha's Spokesman Debunks Arrest Claims, Grills Imo Government Over Warrant

The media office of former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has strongly refuted claims of his arrest by the police, daring the Imo State Government to substantiate its alleged reliance on an arrest warrant. Sam Onwuemeodo, Okorocha's Chief Press Secretary and Special Adviser on Media, dismissed reports of the ex-governor's detention as untrue, maintaining that no arrest occurred and no bail was granted. However, the Nigeria Police Force confirmed that Okorocha was indeed apprehended on Monday night at the REIZ Continental Hotel in Abuja. He was subsequently released on bail after approximately one hour of questioning regarding allegations of criminal conspiracy, forgery, and impersonation. Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, stated that the former governor has been instructed to report back to the Force Headquarters for further investigation as inquiries continue.

In a statement released on Monday, titled ‘Arrest Warrant: We’ve Been Vindicated. Falsehood Has Never Prevailed Over Truth. Truth Is Sacred’, Onwuemeodo reiterated that 'His Excellency, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, was never arrested.' This denial came after the Imo State Government, through its Commissioner for Information, Mbadiwe Emelumba, defended the issuance of an arrest warrant against the former governor. Onwuemeodo noted that the state government, in its own statement titled ‘Bench Warrant: Okorocha’s Lies’, had responded to their earlier demand for the court order it referenced. He highlighted that while the government's statement included a court order dated September 9, 2026, the same order had been vacated by the issuing court just five days later.

Onwuemeodo's statement further elaborated: '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.' He continued, '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 insisted that the court order cited by the state government, issued on September 9, 2026, was subsequently nullified by the same court on September 14, 2026. He questioned the legitimacy of relying on an invalidated order to justify any alleged arrest in October.

He posed the question: '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 Chief Press Secretary also mentioned that Emelumba had clarified that the order was unrelated to petitions penned by the Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Chukwuemeka Ibeziako, dated October 8, 2026. According to Onwuemeodo, this clarification supports Okorocha’s stance that the court order and the electoral petitions are distinct issues.

Okorocha's faction demanded an apology from the state government, accusing it of deliberately misleading Nigerians about 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 expressed.

Responding specifically to the police's confirmation of Okorocha's arrest and subsequent release within an hour, the CPS challenged authorities to provide proof of the incident. '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 asserted.

The police, however, maintained their position that Okorocha was arrested due to allegations of criminal conspiracy, forgery, and impersonation. The arrest reportedly occurred after his failure to honor previous police invitations for questioning. He was initially summoned to the Force Headquarters on September 2, but his lawyers requested a rescheduling to September 8. He reportedly did not appear for this rescheduled appointment either. Police authorities stated that investigations are ongoing, though the full details of the allegations have not yet been publicly disclosed.