Rochas Okorocha in court

Richard Elesho

Owelle Rochas Okorocha is in a difficult race to participate in the ongoing screening of presidential aspirants of the All Progressives Congress, APC. He must be wracking his brain on how to meet his bail conditions to meet up with the screening committee headed by former party chair, Odigie John Oyegun.

After one week in detention, the former Imo Governor was granted bail this Tuesday, 31 May, by an Abuja High Court, headed by Justice Inyang Ekwo in the sum of N500 million and a surety in like sum.

The APC Screening should come to an end today.

Justice Inyang Ekwo gave the bail order while ruling on the bail application filed by Okorocha who currently represents Imo West Senatorial District in the National Assembly. The former governor is being tried on a 17-count charge to the tune of N2.9 billion filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Okorocha’s apprehension by operatives of EFCC last week was very dramatic – like a Nollywood scene. The way and manner he was captured, over a fraud case, diminished the path to the temple of justice. It was more of a ‘wanted dead or alive’ operation.

Detectives from the EFCC, had laid siege to the former Governor’s Maitama highbrow residence on Tuesday, 24th May to effect his arrest. But, he was not one to fall in, without a fight. He locked himself up and refused to go out.

The law enforcers meant business. Promptly, they barricaded the road to the house and cordoned the entire area. When Okorocha noticed their reckless determination, he reached deeper into his bag of antics for other weapons. He made frantic and frenetic phone calls to his lawyers, journalists, pastors, possibly doctors and anyone who could help escalate his travails to the whole world.

Minutes rolled into hours. Lawyers came. Journalists with sophisticated cameras also visited to capture the scenes live.
Neighbours and several wayfarers assembled to feed their eyes.

Meanwhile, the suspect, a devout Catholic, continued in prayers and hymns to deploy holy ghost fire against the attackers of his bunker.

Messengers of the Sheriff lost their cool. Promptly, they fired tear gas canisters and pepper spray to disperse the idle- talking spectators. Once they have been disengaged, the operatives scaled the fence, broke what was breakable including the Plaster of Paris ceiling, to access the house.

A frightened underage voice called attention to a Spiderman-like invader from the roof. Okorocha, who was on the floor, managed to look up at the action figure in the sky. Realising the game was up, he shouted in a ferocious voice, “Oh my God…” then faced down. The detectives swooped on him and terminated his resistance to arrest.

By every standard of measurement, the former Governor was a big fish in the net. He is a serving Senator with a glowing aspiration to succeed President Muhammodu Buhari in Aso Villa. In fact, at the time of his arrest, Okorocha was rehearsing for his appearance before APC Presidential Screening Committee, initially scheduled for the next day. Thus, many analysts believe his arrest was timed to frustrate his eye on the number one office in the country.

Okorocha’s Presidential ambition is legendary. It dates back to 2003 when he struggled for the ticket of All Nigeria People’s Party, ANPP.

He later sought the tickets of Action Alliance, AA, All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA and now APC.

Samuel Onwuemedo, media aide to Okorocha linked the former Governors’s travails to politics. “We only appeal that, while doing its works, EFCC should avoid ‘strange hands’ in its operations. We are yet to detach politics from Okorocha’s ordeal. We may be right or wrong. It’s our candid appeal that the commission should not stop Okorocha’s presidential ambition. Let the APC delegates or Nigerians do that,” he said in a statement.

Now that he has secured bail, it is left to be seen how he meets up with screening before the primary election.