21 Facts About Rochas Okorocha

Rochas Okorocha was the senator representing Imo West senatorial district at the 9th Nigerian Senate.

Rochas Okorocha attended Juladaco High School in Jos from 1976 to 1981, and from 1990 to 1991 he studied at the University of Jos, obtaining a diploma in Public Administration.

Rochas Okorocha returned to the university from 1993 to 1994, to obtain an advanced diploma in Public Administration.

Rochas Okorocha is married to Nneoma Nkechi Okorocha, and together they have three daughters and three sons.

Rochas Okorocha was a Commissioner on the Federal Character Commission and a Member of the National Constitutional Conference.

When democracy was restored in 1999, Rochas Okorocha competed in the primaries to be the People's Democratic Party candidate for governor of Imo State but lost to Achike Udenwa.

Rochas Okorocha moved to the All Nigeria People's Party and ran for the party's presidential nomination but a disappointing result in the primary in 2003 ended his ambition.

Rochas Okorocha returned to the PDP, and President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him as Special Adviser on Inter-Party affairs.

Rochas Okorocha formed the Action Alliance party in 2005, planning to become a presidential candidate for the AA in the 2007 elections.

Rochas Okorocha again returned to the PDP, and in September 2007, indicated that he was interested in becoming PDP National Chairman.

Rochas Okorocha decamped from the People's Democratic Party to the All Progressives Grand Alliance, to run as an APGA candidate for Imo State Governor in the April 2011 national elections.

However, Rochas Okorocha went on to campaign as APGA candidate and won subsequently.

Rochas Okorocha was followed by the incumbent governor Ikedi Ohakim of the PDP with 290,490 votes.

Rochas Okorocha explained that the electoral commission ordered re-run for the governorship election because of the 79,000 difference between the votes scored by the leading and the second candidates.

Rochas Okorocha won the rerun election fixed for 25 April 2015.

On 2 March 2013, Rochas Okorocha led an APGA faction to form the All Progressives Congress.

Rochas Okorocha was later elected by his colleague governors in the opposition as Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum.

Towards the end of his tenure as governor, Rochas Okorocha picked his son-in-law Uche Nwosu, who was the Chief of Staff, as his candidate to run for the office of the governor under APC, but Uche Nwosu lost the party's governorship ticket to Senator Hope Uzodinma.

Rochas Okorocha contested the senatorial ticket for the 9th Senate representing Imo west Orlu senatorial zone during the 2019 National Assembly elections however the results are controversial and have not been ratified by INEC.

Rochas Okorocha was sworn in on 13 June 2019 by the Senate President Ahmed Lawan.

Rochas Okorocha declared his interest to vie for the same office of presidency again under the same umbrella in 2023.