An aide to former Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Ebere Nzeworji, has debunked the news circulating that the politician is dead.
News About Nigeria gathered that reports of Okorocha’s death emerged on social media on Wednesday evening.
The trending social media posts alleged that Okorocha died in a hospital in London after battling an undisclosed illness.
However, in a statement on Thursday, Okorocha’s aide dismissed the rumors, stating that “the immediate past Senator representing Imo West Senatorial District is hale and hearty.”
He also clarified that Okorocha never traveled to London for any treatment, as he was with him at his Unity House office in Garki, Abuja, around the same time the rumor began spreading.
He further noted that the former governor had recently returned from Owerri, Imo State, where he attended the burial of late Ohaneze Ndigbo leader, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.
Nzeworji urged the general public to disregard the rumors, describing them as nothing but fake news.
The statement partly reads: “One can now begin to wonder about the motives behind this fake news. Senator Okorocha is a patriotic Nigerian who has served both at the state and national levels with distinction, building friendships with well-meaning individuals across the country and the globe.”
“The former governor has never wished anyone dead and is always cheerful and caring about the wellbeing of others. We, therefore, call on all well-meaning Nigerians and the global community to disregard this fake news and be assured that His Excellency, Senator Rochas Okorocha, is hale and hearty.”