A Senior Magistrate Court sitting in Abuja has reportedly issued bench warrants for the arrest of former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, and former Senator Ifeanyi Araraume over allegations of criminal conspiracy, forgery and the use of false documents.

Two other individuals, Timothy Ama Chuks and Amen Okorocha, we’re also named in the warrants over their alleged involvement in the disputed All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election documents.

The warrants, dated September 9, 2026, were issued by Senior Magistrate Court 3, Jiwa, Abuja, in cases numbered CR/M/JW/084/2026 and CR/M/JW/085/2026.

According to the court documents, the proceedings were instituted in the name of the Inspector-General of Police against the four individuals.

The warrants authorised police officers nationwide to apprehend the defendants and bring them before the court.

The development followed allegations concerning documents purportedly showing that Okorocha emerged victorious in an APC senatorial primary election in Imo State.

INEC Petitions Security Agencies
Meanwhile, INEC has rejected a document being circulated by Okorocha, claiming that he won the primaries.

The electoral body stated that the authentic document by APC before it showed that Governor Hope Uzodimma won the primaries, upon which his name was duly forwarded to it by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the candidate for Imo West Senatorial Zone (Orlu zone).

INEC declared the document being paraded by Okorocha as fake and urged the security agencies to investigate the former governor.

The Commission stated this in a letter to the Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, and his DSS counterpart dated 8th October, 2026, and signed by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Imo State, Chukwuemeka Ibeziako.

INEC declared that it was reporting a case of “fraudulent and fictitious All Progressives Congress senatorial party primary report for Imo State dated 18th May, 2026.”

It raised the alarm that, contrary to the document duly signed by APC and forwarded to its headquarters with Uzodimma as the clear winner of the primary election, the one circulating on social media purported Okorocha as the winner; hence the petition.

“The fictitious document wrongly presented Senator Ethelbert Rochas Okorocha as the elected candidate for the party,” INEC said.

While enclosing the original results that declared Uzodimma as the rightful winner of the primary and the fake one being paraded by Okorocha, INEC urged the police and the DSS to thoroughly investigate the forgery.

“In these circumstances, I urge you to graciously use your good offices to investigate and neutralise this spurious conduct that has a serious likelihood of causing the breakdown of law and order in Imo State,” INEC stated.