Former Imo State Governor and senator Rochas Okorocha has been arrested by the Nigeria Police Force and subsequently released on bail after approximately one hour of interrogation over allegations of criminal conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
The development was confirmed on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, by the police spokesperson, CSP Aniete Iniedu, who told Channels Television that the former governor had been released but was expected to return to the Force Headquarters in Abuja for further questioning.
Okorocha was reportedly arrested on Monday night at the REIZ Continental Hotel in central Abuja as investigations into the allegations continued.
According to the police, his arrest followed his failure to honour previous invitations issued in connection with the ongoing investigation.
The former governor had reportedly been invited to the Force Headquarters on September 2, but the appointment was rescheduled to September 8 following a request from his lawyers, and he allegedly failed to attend on the rescheduled date.
Police authorities subsequently questioned him over the allegations before granting him bail, with further interrogation scheduled for Tuesday.
The investigation comes amid a dispute over the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary election for Imo West Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The controversy centres on documents purportedly showing that Okorocha won the party's primary, despite the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognising Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma as the party's candidate for the senatorial district.
INEC reportedly petitioned the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate a document circulating in the public domain that allegedly presented Okorocha as the winner of the primary.
In its account of the dispute, the electoral commission maintained that the authentic results submitted to it identified Uzodimma as the winner and that the APC had forwarded his name for recognition.
The commission reportedly described the alternative document as fictitious and called for an investigation into its origin and authenticity.
The allegations being investigated include criminal conspiracy, forgery and the presentation of allegedly false documents, although the claims have not been established as proven offences against Okorocha.
The arrest also follows public disagreement over reports that a court had issued a warrant for the former governor's arrest.
Before the latest development, Okorocha, through his media aide, Sam Onwuemeodo, had disputed reports concerning the alleged arrest warrant and challenged those circulating the claims to make the court order public.
His camp also questioned the chronology of the reported warrant and the petition said to have prompted the investigation.
The reported arrest and subsequent release on bail have now added a new development to the dispute surrounding the APC's Imo West senatorial primary.
Okorocha previously served as governor of Imo State from 2011 to 2019 and later represented Imo West in the Senate, making him a prominent political figure in the state.
Governor Uzodimma, meanwhile, is seeking to secure the APC's senatorial ticket for the district ahead of the next general election, bringing the disputed primary documents into a wider political contest.
The disagreement has attracted attention as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 elections, with party nominations and candidate selection processes becoming increasingly significant.
However, the police investigation remains separate from the political arguments surrounding the primary, and the allegations must be distinguished from any final determination of criminal responsibility.
The police have not publicly detailed all the evidence underpinning the allegations in the report, and further questioning is expected as the investigation proceeds.
For now, the confirmed development is that Okorocha was arrested in Abuja, questioned for about an hour and released on bail, with police asking him to return for further interrogation.
Further developments are expected as investigators examine the disputed documents and establish the circumstances surrounding the allegations.