INEC Calls for Investigation Into Okorocha’s Claims Regarding Imo West Senatorial Ticket
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disavowed a document circulated by the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial aspirant for the Orlu zone, Senator Rochas Okorocha, which asserts that he won the primaries.
INEC confirmed that the authentic documentation submitted by the APC indicates that Governor Hope Uzodimma emerged victorious in the primaries, and his name was subsequently forwarded to INEC as the candidate for the Imo West Senatorial zone (Orlu zone).
In a correspondence addressed to the Commissioner of Police for the Imo State Command and the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), INEC denounced the document presented by Okorocha as fraudulent and urged the security agencies to conduct an investigation into the former governor.
The letter, dated October 8, 2026, and signed by the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Imo State, Barrister Chukwuemeka C. Ibeziako, reported a case of “fraudulent and fictitious All Progressives Congress senatorial party primary report for Imo State dated May 18, 2026.”
INEC raised concerns that, contrary to the document duly signed by the APC and submitted to its headquarters, which clearly identified Governor Uzodimma as the winner of the primary election, the version circulating on social media inaccurately claims Okorocha as the victor, prompting this petition.
“The fictitious document incorrectly identifies Senator Ethelbert Rochas Okorocha as the elected candidate for the party,” INEC stated.
While providing the original results that confirmed Uzodimma as the legitimate winner of the primary alongside the counterfeit document being disseminated by Okorocha, INEC urged both the police and the DSS to conduct a thorough investigation into this forgery.
“In these circumstances, I respectfully request that you utilize your esteemed offices to investigate and address this fraudulent activity, which poses a significant risk of disrupting law and order in Imo State,” INEC urged the police and the DSS.
