Lawmaker representing Delta North Senatorial District, Ned Nwoko, has raised concerns over the conduct of the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary, alleging that the exercise was not transparent or fairly conducted.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News, the senator maintained that he won the primary election based on results he said were collated from wards across the district.
According to Nwoko, the primary election took place in approximately 98 wards, and he possesses video evidence from several locations which, he claimed, clearly showed that he enjoyed widespread support among party members.
The senator stated that he intends to formally submit the recordings and other supporting materials to the All Progressives Congress for review.
Nwoko alleged the process became questionable midway into the exercise after party officials reportedly informed participants that ward-level results would no longer be announced publicly.
Instead, he said party members were told that the final outcome of the primary would be declared by the national leadership of the APC, a decision he claimed created uncertainty and confusion among aspirants and their supporters.
“Halfway through the process, we received information that no results would be announced at the ward level. We were told the results would be announced at the national level,” he said.
“We assumed the party would follow due process.”
Nwoko further alleged that the eventual result used to declare a winner originated from a single ward which he claimed had close ties to former Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa.
According to him, the outcome from that particular ward was allegedly used as the basis for determining the overall result of the senatorial primary across the entire district.
“Instead, we were suddenly presented with a result from a single ward closely connected to the former governor, and that result was used as the metric for declaring the winner,” Nwoko alleged.
The senator also accused political stakeholders within Delta State of influencing the process in a coordinated manner, insisting that the final outcome did not reflect the true voting pattern across Delta North.
He further claimed that the current governor of Delta State was allegedly working in collaboration with Senator Okowa regarding the conduct of the exercise.
“The governor of Delta State is acting in cohort with Sen. Okowa,” Nwoko added.
The allegations have added to growing conversations surrounding internal party democracy and the conduct of political primaries ahead of future elections in Nigeria.
