Okorocha Mum On Using Thugs To Coerce Returning Officer

Almost twenty-four hours after Governor Rochas Okorocha was publicly accused by the Imo West Senatorial Election returning officer of using thugs to coerce him to announce him winner of the election, the outgoing governor has remained unusually quiet.

The governor was as at near midday on Tuesday yet to respond to the allegation by Innocent Ibeawuchi that the governor and his agents under duress made him to declare Okorocha the senator-elect.

Ibeawuchi had said that the governor locked him up and gave him one hour to announce him as the winner of the election.

Speaking on Monday evening from a secret location in Owerri, the R.O. had said:

“As I was on my way into my office three persons accosted me and asked me to hand over the materials to them. They even called their boss but I told them that I can’t.

“Apart from that, the card readers most of them were not working. They even tampered with the sensitive materials. There are around seven to eight local government areas that we had massive rigging and compromises.

Some of the local government areas mentioned were Ideato North and South Local Government Areas, Isu, Njaba, Oru East, Oru West and Ohaji/Egbema.

“It is for this reason, that I told them that I want to cancel the results. If you remove these areas there will be a rerun.”

Asked of the identity of those who attacked him, he said: “The thugs are working for the APC, they pounced on me and started beating me. One boy told me that he will kill me if I refuse to write the results they wanted. 

On how the governor Okorocha put fear in him to announce the result he said: “Okorocha came into the collation center and told me that the news is everywhere and that I should announce the results. Okorocha told me that he gave me one hour to write the results. But I told him that it is not true that we have not announced the final result.”

Affirming that he was now afraid of his life and that of his family, he said:

“You know that any desperado will not rest until he gets you. My family is in God’s hands. I am afraid now.”

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