Senator Ned Nwoko has accused the All Progressives Congress, APC, of deceiving him with the promise of an automatic ticket before allegedly rigging the Delta North senatorial primary in favour of former Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa.
Nwoko, who lost the APC Delta North senatorial primary, said
he was assured of the party’s ticket before defecting from the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, to the ruling party.
Speaking on ARISE Television on Monday, the senator said he
would not have left the PDP without first securing assurances about his
political future in the APC.
“I certainly was told before I came into the party there
would be an automatic ticket for me,” Nwoko said.
“Why would I just leave like that without making sure I have
a secure ride?”
Okowa was declared winner of the APC senatorial primary
after polling 113,309 votes, while Nwoko scored 2,612 votes.
But Nwoko rejected the result, insisting that the exercise
was manipulated to favour the former governor.
The senator claimed he had evidence, including videos, to
prove that he won the primary across most of the wards in Delta North.
“We won the primary. All Ifeanyi Okowa did was to show
evidence of just one ward where there was an issue,” he said.
“I was there. I have the evidence. I have the video. You
cannot convince somebody who is innocent to say, I am guilty. It’s not
possible.
“We won the primary in 98 wards. No, I couldn’t have won his
ward. It would be foolhardy of me to think I would win his ward.”
Nwoko also alleged that APC leaders had promised a
power-sharing arrangement after his defection from the PDP.
According to him, discussions were held with party leaders,
and assurances were given that old APC members would be accommodated in the new
political structure.
He said former APC national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, was
among those who allegedly gave assurances before his defection.
Nwoko, however, lamented that the promises were not kept,
adding that legacy APC members had been sidelined after new entrants took
control of the party structure.
“We had meetings with leaders of the party and we were
assured that there would be some sharing formula, power-sharing formula,” he
said.
“We were even told, for example, that the state EXCO would
be dissolved and that there would be nominations to enable the old APC to get a
foothold into the government.”
The senator said the APC under its current leadership had
failed to honour the understanding reached before his defection.
He vowed to challenge the outcome of the primary and seek a
review of the exercise.
Nwoko dumped the PDP for the APC in February 2025 after
winning his Senate seat on the platform of the opposition party in the 2023
election.
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