Amaechi Speaks On Rigging Elections While In PDP

Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers state has said he never took part in rigging of elections by the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) when he was a member of the party.

Amaechi disclosed this on Thursday, November 6, while addressing newsmen at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
The governor, who noted that he had always insisted that the people’s mandate remained critical, called on the newsmen to ask the PDP if he had, at any time supported rigging, Punch reports.

Gov. Rotimi Amaechi

He said: “People have confronted me in different fora that all these things that you have done, how are we sure that they can be sustained and I said the only way you can sustain them is to make sure that you vote for somebody that comes from the party that I come from because that party will run the same programmes as I have ran.


“An example is that all of you who have followed me will know that I am quite different from the normal PDP person. When I was in the PDP, they saw me as a different person all together because I never stood with them on a lot of issues, including rigging.

“You can ask them; you can ask the PDP if I supported rigging. Before you wake up and go to the place (election venue), I have finished. As a people’s governor, we insist that the people’s mandate is critical and it is important. I don’t know what the PDP does when it comes to voting; I don’t participate; I don’t know what they do. But I assure you that this time, our votes must count.”

He called on the people to collect their permanent voter cards to ensure that their votes count in the forthcoming elections while also encouraging them to vote for the APC candidates in the 2015 elections.

Amaechi therefore urged the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to conduct a free, fair and credible election next year so as to defend the country’s reputation.


Earlier, Amaechi who was a guest on AIT’s flagship programme: Focus Nigeria had expressed his doubts about President Jonathan.