BREAKING: Ex Rivers APC Chairman Speaks on How Elections Were Rigged During Amaechi's Term

BREAKING: Ex Rivers APC Chairman Speaks on How Elections Were Rigged During Amaechi's Term

  • Former APC chairman in Rivers State, Tony Okocha, has admitted to rigging local council elections during former Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s administration
  • Okocha defended his admission, comparing it to a former criminal confessing past misdeeds, arguing that the law cannot take retroactive action
  • Incumbent APC chairman Emeka Beke strongly denied any involvement in election rigging

Port Hacourt, River state - Chief Tony Okocha, former chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, has publicly admitted to rigging local council elections during the administration of former Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

Okocha, who served as Amaechi's Chief of Staff from 2007 to 2015, made this revelation while speaking with pressmen.

Ex-APC chairman speaks on how elections were rigged in Rivers state
Ex-APC chairman speaks on how elections were rigged in Rivers state Photo credit: @ChibuikeAmaechi/@alex_dianaflex
Source: Twitter

Okocha's confession came as a surprise to many, especially given the former chairman’s previous position of power within the APC.

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While speaking during a an interview on Channels Television, he openly acknowledged his involvement in rigging elections during Amaechi’s administration, citing his knowledge of the system as a reason for coming forward.

Okocha explained:

“When you have an idea of a thing and you see the other person also wants to use the tactics that you already know, you will shout. That is the reason why we went to court.
"All of us were together, including Emeka Beke."

During the interview, Okocha was interrupted by a comment suggesting that election riggers should be jailed.

He defended his position, comparing it to a situation where a former armed robber comes forward with a confession.

Okocha remarked:

“If you are an armed robber yesterday, and today you confess that you stole something somewhere yesterday, are you saying that the law will now take retroactive effect? The answer is no,”

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Incumbent APC chairman Beke denies involvement

Despite Okocha’s claims that he was not the only one involved in the election rigging, the incumbent APC chairman in Rivers State, Emeka Beke, strongly denied any participation.

Beke questioned during the live broadcast:

“During the election, was I part of it? Have you ever heard me say rig election?”

Okocha responded by suggesting that Beke was present during the rigging operations under the Amaechi government.

However, Beke vehemently denied the accusations, saying:

“I did not follow you to the election. I did not partake in any election whatsoever. When you wake up and confess and want to put me there, I am not part of that.”

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Ezra Ukanwa avatar

Ezra Ukanwa (Editor) Ezra Ukanwa is a first-class graduate of Anchor University, Lagos. He holds a master's degree in mass communication. Ezra currently serves as the Current Affairs and Politics Editor for Legit.ng, where he covers events and provides insightful analysis and reportage on national issues. He was named best Campus Journalist (Anchor University Communications Award, 2019). Kindly contact him at: ezra.ukanwa@corp.legit.ng or +2349036989944