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......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
Okocha, who served as Amaechi’s Chief of Staff from 2007 to 2015, made this revelation while speaking with pressmen.
Okocha’s confession came as a surprise to many, especially given the former chairman’s previous position of power within the APC.
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,”
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.”