Chief Tony Okocha, the ousted chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, has openly admitted to participating in the rigging of local council elections during former Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s administration.
Okocha, who served as Amaechi’s Chief of Staff between 2007 and 2015, made this revelation during an appearance on Channels TV.
He argued that instead of facing prosecution, he should be rewarded for exposing the electoral fraud.
He also accused the reinstated APC chairman in Rivers State, Emeka Beke, of being complicit in ballot manipulation during that period.
According to him, “On the issue of whether I rigged the election, I did not hide it. I should be praised as a whistleblower”.
However, when he was interrupted that election riggers should be in jail, Okocha exclaimed, “If you are 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”.
He further clarified that his public admission of involvement in election rigging was intended to discourage others from employing similar tactics in the future.
“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,” he added.
However, the party’s current chairman, who appeared alongside him on the program, denied any involvement in the alleged rigging.
“During the election, was I part of it? Have you ever heard me say rig election?”
“Are you saying that under the Amaechi government, you never participated,” Okocha responded.
Beke continued: “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 that you rigged the election.”
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