Former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha was arrested by police in Abuja on Monday night over allegations of criminal conspiracy, forgery, and impersonation, but was later released on bail after about an hour of questioning.
Okorocha was taken into custody at the Reiz Continental Hotel, according to the Nigeria Police Force spokesperson, Aniete Iniedu, who confirmed the development in an interview with Channels Television.
Iniedu said the former governor had been directed to report to the Force Headquarters on Tuesday for further questioning as detectives continued their investigation.
The arrest reportedly followed Okorocha’s failure to honour previous police invitations concerning a disputed All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary result circulating on social media.
The police initially invited him to appear at the Force Headquarters on September 2. However, the date was rescheduled to September 8 following a request from his legal team, but he reportedly failed to attend the rearranged appointment.
The investigation followed petitions submitted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) over a purported APC senatorial primary result shared online.
The disputed document allegedly identifies Okorocha as the winner of the party’s primary for the Imo West senatorial district, a claim challenged by INEC.
In separate letters dated October 5 and October 8, 2026, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Imo State, Chukwuemeka Ibeziako, asked the security agencies to investigate the circulation of the document.
Ibeziako maintained that the online result contradicted the certified report submitted to INEC’s national headquarters, which recognised Governor Hope Uzodimma as the winner of the APC primary for the senatorial district.
In his October 5 letter to the DSS state director, the REC said the authentic report, dated May 18, 2026, identified Uzodimma as the party’s candidate for Imo West.
He warned that the circulation of what he described as fraudulent material could threaten public peace and trigger a breakdown of law and order in Imo State, urging security agencies to take action.
The REC subsequently reiterated the complaint in a letter to the Imo State Commissioner of Police on October 8.
Okorocha’s release on bail does not end the investigation, as he is expected to return to the Force Headquarters for further questioning.
The allegations against the former governor have yet to be established in court.
