Rochas dragged to court by UPP who are seeking to get him arrested for election malpractices

GOVERNOR Rochas Okorocha has been dragged to court by the United Progressives Party (UPP) who are trying to get him arrested and prosecuted for electoral malpractices in relation to his role in the recent polls in the state.

Highly controversial, Governor Okorocha was in the news throughout the recent Nigerian elections as he not only stood for senator himself but also backed his son-in-law Uche Nwosu to become his successor in Imo State. Governor Okorocha's quest to represent Imo West Senatorial District in the senate is still the subject of controversy as for now the election remains inconclusive, while Mr Nwosu lost in the race to become Imo State governor.

In the senate race Governor Okorocha is accused of forcing the returning officer to announce him the winner but after this became public, the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) withdrew his certificate of return. Precious Nwadike, the UPP senatorial candidate is seeking the arrest, investigation and prosecution of Governor Okorocha.

His counsel Kingdom Okere, said that his client was opposed to an application filed by Governor Okorocha concerning his senatorial election. Governor Okorocha had filed a suit asking the federal high court in Abuja urging Inec to issue a certificate of return to him as the senator-elect for Imo West Senatorial District.

He added: “We are here to vehemently opposing the suit filed by Okorocha. We should be talking about the police and security agencies arresting, investigating and prosecuting Okorocha upon the expiration of his constitutionally allowed immunity as governor of Imo for committing electoral offence.

“The electoral act is clear as to what constitutes electoral offence, somebody held a returning officer hostage at gun point and forced him to declare results in his favour and we are here speaking grammar that they should give him certificate of return. So we, having been joined as the sixth defendant.

“We will urge this court to make a consequential order on the security agencies to immediately apprehend him on the 29th of May and prosecute him for electoral offence. That is for holding a returning officer hostage, telling him to declare him at gun point. This is not about certificate of return but about the sanctity of our electoral system."

One of Governor Okorocha’s counsels, Chibueze Nwanedo, however, said that the issue raised by Mr Okere was for the Election Petition Tribunal and not the court. According to Mr Nwanedo, after Inec conducted the election, a winner was declared and yet they were withholding the certificate.

He also noted that the issue of several parties seeking to join the suit was only an attempt to divert the court’s attention from the main issue. Earlier, Justice Taiwo Taiwo granted the request of the candidate of the Kowa Party Nwachukwu Clement and that of Labour Party Uche Onyioma to be joined in the suit filed by Governor Okorocha and ordered that all processes be served on them.