Senator Ned Nwoko has alleged that the recent APC senatorial primaries in Delta State were manipulated by the state government to favour preferred candidates and undermine internal party democracy.
Speaking during an interview, Nwoko expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the Delta APC primaries, claiming the exercise lacked fairness and transparency.
He said:
“The process was manipulated from day one. The State Government. It’s something that they conspired to produce results for what they saw, or what they produced.”
The Delta North senator said his camp possesses ward-by-ward results and video recordings from the exercise, adding that the materials had already been submitted to relevant authorities.
According to him, party members were instructed midway through the process not to announce results at the ward level, but to forward them for declaration at the national level in Abuja.
Nwoko questioned the credibility of a video showing former Delta State governor Ifeanyi Okowa being declared winner, arguing that it represented only one ward out of 98 involved in the primary.
He said:
“I want you to understand something. The video that you saw, where Ifeanyi Okowa was announced as the winner, just one video from one ward out of 98 wards. Maybe they should show us other videos. They must show us the figures.”
The senator maintained that he would reject any outcome ratified by the party leadership if it contradicted what he described as the genuine mandate of party members.
“I wouldn’t accept. Because I have a mandate. I have a mandate by the people.”
Responding to reports of violence and intimidation in some areas, Nwoko described the incidents as isolated cases that did not significantly affect the overall process.
He also explained that his decision to leave the PDP stemmed from frustrations over what he described as restrictions placed on him by the Delta State political establishment.
“I was in PDP. I got elected as a PDP Senator. But I realized that my people there the Governor, Okowa himself you know, didn’t allow me to operate freely.”
Nwoko expressed confidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would intervene in the dispute, while insisting he remains committed to the APC and has no intention of working against the party.
“I’m not going to say I’m going to work against the party; I’m going to work for the party. But I can assure you of this: I’m sure that the President will intervene in this matter.”
The senator further alleged that longstanding APC members in Delta State had been sidelined following the influx of former PDP figures into the party, despite earlier assurances of inclusion and power-sharing arrangements.
He insisted that results from all 98 wards should be reviewed before any final declaration is accepted.
“How could you base your declaration of a result on one ward? One ward… There are many other 97 wards. Why don’t you just find out what happened in them?”
