…..PRESS RELEASE….
SUBJECT: NO COURT ORDERED FOR THE ARREST OF HIS EXCELLENCY, DISTINGUISHED SENATOR ROCHAS OKOROCHA.
—-WE CHALLENGE ANYBODY OR GROUP, IN POSSESSION OF ANY COURT ORDER, FOR THE ARREST OF OKOROCHA, TO MAKE IT PUBLIC, WITHIN 48 HOURS.
……AFTER THE 48 HOURS, WE ASK FOR RETRACTION AND APOLOGY, ESPECIALLY FROM NOTABLE MEDIA HOUSES, INCLUDING THE ARISE TV, FOR MARKETING THE FALSEHOOD.
1. A story, with the caption, “COURT ORDERS ARREST OF OKOROCHA, ARARAUME, OTHERS, FOR CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY, FORGERY”, had trended. Hon. Ambrose Nwaogwugwu, one of the Media Aides of the lmo Governor, Distinguised Senator Hope Uzodimma, was the first to push out the story. From there, other Media outfits, including the ARISE TV, took it up.
2. Those behind the story had quoted a “Senior Magistrate Court , sitting in Abuja”, to have “issued the Bench Warrant, dated September 9, 2026”.
3. They had attritbuted the said Order of the Senior Maigistrate Court, to a petition written by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, lmo State, Barr. Chukwuemeka lbejiako, to the Police and DSS respectively, dated October 8, 2026, asking them to “investigate Okorocha”, and others, for “presenting fake APC Primary results”.
4. Against the backdrop of all these, we want to strongly state, and we stand to be contradicted, that, no Court, whether that of Senior Magistrate, or High Court, had ordered, or issued any Bench warrant for the arrest of Okorocha.
5. Now that we have openly made this denial, the burden now is on those behind the trending story of Court Order for the arrest of Okorocha, to unveil the Court Order or Bench Warrant. Let them make it public. Under normal Scenario, they should have published the arrest story, with the Court Order, and name of the Senior Magistrate in question. Perhaps, they had forgotten to do that. Now, we are challenging them to make the Court Order or Bench Warrant public. We ask that, they do that within 48hours.
6. After the 48 hours, and they are not able to produce or publish the Court Order, the onus now would fall on the Media establishments that were deceived into feeding the public with the false story, to do the needful. And the needful is to retract the story, and tender an apology. That’s the most civilized thing to do.
7. We had equally observed that, in their story, they claimed that, the Bench Warrant was issued on September 9, 2026, whereas the lmo REC’s Petitions, which they claimed, had warrant the Court Order, was dated October 8, 2026. And the case number, as CR/M/084/2026. In other words, the Court Order came before the Petitions, and before the filing of the Case. This is what you get when people decide to deceive, or to chase shadow.
8. We also make hay to say that, INEC or the lmo Resident Electoral Commissioner, Barr. Ibejiako, never wrote any petition against Okorocha. Or, asked that Okorocha be investigated. Nor, did he indict Okorocha in his petitions. Rather, in his petitions, he asked the Police and DSS to investigate a document in circulation that had portrayed Okorocha as the winner of the APC Primary in lmo, for lmo West Senatorial District. And the petition was dated thursday, October 8, 2026. Assuming it was submitted same day, was it possible for both the DSS and Police to have concluded their investigations, on Friday, October 9, 2026, when the story of the Court Order for arrest, began to trend?. [Less than 24hours). The answer is No.
9. It is also important to advise the Media Aides of the lmo Governor, that, in talking or writing about Okorocha, they should know that, aside being two-term former lmo Governor, and former Senator, is also an outstanding lgbo leader, and frontrow stakeholder in nation-building, and had arrived early, even before Political offices. They should stop insulting him, or any other leader, like Distinguished Senator Ifeanyi Araraume. These are notable leaders, and should not be insulted by those expected to give them maximum respect.
10. It is equally advisable to say this; As the Presidential Election is less than ninety days from today, ditto, other elections, anybody genuinly supporting President Bola Tinubu for victory, in the 2027 election, should desire peace, pursue peace and ensure peace. This is not the time for crisis or stampede. Neither crisis, nor stampede, is a good English word.
11. At a time like this too, Media Houses should be more painstaking, than they were in the past. They should scrutinize materials sent to them, before using them, to avoid being deceived by couriers of falsehood.
12. Finally, we ask the general public to disregard the Court Order story. There was nothing like that. No such incident. While we wait on those behind the lies, to contradict us, by making the Court Order public, as we’ve demanded.
THANK YOU.
Signed:
Sam. Onwuemeodo.
Chief Press Secretary/ Special Adviser On Media, to His Excellency, Distinguished Senator, Owelle Rochas Okorocha.
