Former Imo State Governor and ex-Senator, Rochas Okorocha, has dismissed reports claiming that a court issued a warrant for his arrest, challenging those behind the publication to produce the alleged court order.
Okorocha’s position was contained in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary and Special Adviser on Media, Sam Onwuemeodo, who described the report as false and misleading.
The statement denied claims that either a Senior Magistrate Court or a High Court had issued a bench warrant against the former governor.
Reports had alleged that a Senior Magistrate Court in Abuja ordered the arrest of Okorocha and Senator Ifeanyi Araraume over a petition linked to alleged fake All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election results.
However, Okorocha’s camp argued that the report contained significant inconsistencies, particularly regarding the timeline of events.
According to the statement, the petition referenced in the report was dated October 8, 2026, while the purported court order was said to have been issued earlier.
“The petition was dated October 8, 2026, and the case number cited was CR/M/084/2026, yet the bench warrant was said to have been issued a month earlier. In other words, the Court Order came before the petitions and before the filing of the case,” the statement said.
Okorocha’s aide further maintained that the Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Chukwuemeka Ibejiako, neither petitioned against the former governor nor accused him of any wrongdoing.
Rather, he said the REC merely requested security agencies to investigate a document circulating online which allegedly indicated that Okorocha won the APC primary for Imo West Senatorial District.
The statement also questioned whether security agencies could have completed investigations, filed charges and secured a court order within 24 hours of receiving the petition.
It therefore challenged those responsible for the report to publish the alleged court order, bench warrant and the identity of the magistrate involved within 48 hours or retract the story.
Okorocha’s camp urged media organisations to verify information before publication and cautioned against becoming channels for the spread of misinformation.
The statement also called on political actors to promote peace ahead of the 2027 elections, stressing that supporters of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election should avoid actions capable of triggering unnecessary tensions.
It urged Nigerians to disregard the report, insisting that no court had issued any arrest warrant against the former governor.
