A senior magistrate court sitting in Jiwa, Abuja, has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha, former Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, Timothy Ama Chuks, and Amen Okorocha over alleged criminal conspiracy, forgery, and the presentation of fraudulent documents.
According to the court order, Timothy Chuks and Amen Okorocha allegedly colluded with the former governor to fabricate and submit falsified All Progressives Congress (APC) election results falsely claiming Okorocha as the winner.
The warrant explicitly authorizes all Nigerian police officers to apprehend Okorocha, Araraume, Chuks, and Amen Okorocha and produce them before Senior Magistrate Court 3 in Jiwa to face the charges.
The arrest warrants coincide with a formal request by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the police to investigate Okorocha over the alleged manipulation of All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election results.
Dated September 9, 2026, the bench warrant charges the suspects with criminal conspiracy, forgery, and uttering false documents under suit numbers CR/M/JW/084/2026 and CR/M/JW/085/2026, involving the Inspector-General of Police against the four accused individuals.
Meanwhile, INEC has officially disavowed a document circulated by Okorocha claiming victory in the primary election, declaring the submission invalid.
According to official All Progressives Congress (APC) documentation, the party duly submitted Governor Hope Uzodimma as its validated candidate for the Imo West Senatorial Zone (Orlu zone) following his victory in the primary election.
In a strongly worded communication addressed to the Commissioner of Police and the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Imo State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the document circulated by former Governor Rochas Okorocha as fraudulent and requested a comprehensive security investigation.
Backstory…
Former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha and incumbent Governor Hope Uzodimma were both involved in the contest for the party’s senatorial nomination, setting the stage for a dispute over who won the May 18, 2026, primary election.
Okorocha subsequently approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenging the Independent National Electoral Commission’s recognition of Uzodimma as the APC candidate for Imo West.
In the suit, filed in August, Okorocha argued that reports from the primary indicated that he had won and asked the court to compel INEC to recognise him as the party’s candidate.
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