Ex-aide denies Rochas Okorocha’s death  

Former Chief Press Secretary to the former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, Samuel Onwuemeodo, has dismissed rumour making the rounds that the ex-governor has died in a London hospital.

Onwuemeodo, in a statement yesterday, urged the public to disregard such stories peddled on the social media platforms that the former Senator, who represented Imo West Senatorial District, died on Wednesday, disclosing that Okorocha had not had any headache since he left office on May 29, 2019.

The statement read: “On Wednesday, November 6, 2024, a group of people came up with what they had described as “breaking news,” that the former governor of Imo State and former Senator Representing Imo West Senatorial District, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, had fallen sick and taken to London hospital where he died.

“To all men and women of conscience and good tidings, the correct breaking news is that Okorocha was neither sick nor dead. Okorocha has never had a headache since he left as the governor of Imo State in 2019. In other words, Okorocha is hale and hearty as we write.”

He explained that the former governor attended the burial of the late Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu last weekend, stressing: “Okorocha had spent almost one week in Owerri for the burial of Iwuanyanwu. On the burial day, Friday, November 1, 2024, he was at the burial Church Service and was present at the burial site.

“After the burial, he went to his Owerri residence to receive and host Nigerians from all walks of life who had come for the burial. He hosted them, including the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, and many of his colleagues.

He continued: “Okorocha was in his Owerri residence receiving visitors from far and near,  until Monday,  November 4, when he went back to Abuja with some other guests for the Night of Tributes at Ya’adua Centre for another great Nigerian and illustrious son of Igbo land,  Dr Ogbonnaya Onu. On Tuesday, November 5, 2024, he was at the Service of Songs, equally in honour of Onu.”

Onwuemeodo noted they are aware of those behind the rumoured death of Okorocha, stressing: “24 hours after the ugly breaking news came up, we know those behind the unfortunate breaking news.

We equally know their motive. We know their problem. And they have our sympathies.

“It’s disturbing that, at a time like this, what some people could come up with as their version of breaking news was to “ allocate”  “acute gorilla” they had,  perhaps,  invented to someone who didn’t have a fever. And equally pronounced the person dead, when the person is alive, hale and hearty.”