“I Rigged The Election, I Did Not Hide It” ~ Rivers APC Chairman Tony Okocha
The Rivers State APC Chairman, Tony Okocha, has made a shocking revelation about his involvement in rigging local council elections during the tenure of former Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
He made this admission on Channels Television. Okocha, who served as Amaechi’s chief of staff from 2007 to 2015, added that the current APC Chairman, Beke, was allegedly involved in it.
Okocha, who was recently removed from office by a Port Harcourt High Court and replaced with Beke, insisted that he is a “whistle-blower” for speaking up.
“On the issue of whether I rigged the election, I did not hide it. I should be paid as a whistleblower,” Okocha stated before he was interrupted by the interviewer, who said election riggers should be in prison.
He responded, saying, “No. If you were an armed robber yesterday, and today you came to confess that you stole something somewhere yesterday, are you saying that the law will now take a retroactive effect? The answer is No.”
Okocha revealed that his public statement was meant to stop others from using the same tactics. “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.”
When asked who the other person behind it was, Okocha directly implicated Emeka Beke, saying, “Yes, all of us were together, including Emeka Beke.”
Emeka Beke, who appeared alongside Okocha, immediately rebuked the accusations, saying, “During the election, was I part of it? Have you ever heard me say I rigged an election?” Okocha immediately countered, saying, “Are you saying that under the Amaechi government, you never participated?”
Beke responded firmly, “I did not follow you to the election. I did not partake in any election whatsoever. When you wake up and confess and you want to put me there, I am not part of that. You rigged the election, and we are going to ask the police to arrest you for rigging the election.”
