Senator Ned Nwoko has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of betrayal, alleging that party leaders failed to honour promises allegedly made to him before he defected to the party.
The lawmaker’s frustration follows reports that he lost the Delta North senatorial return ticket to former Ifeanyi Okowa, who recently joined the APC after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Nwoko, who also defected from the PDP to the APC, expressed disappointment over what he described as a breach of trust by the ruling party, insisting that assurances had been given to secure his political future within the APC structure.
According to the senator, discussions held before his defection included agreements on power-sharing arrangements and restructuring within the party to accommodate both old and new members fairly.
However, he claimed that those promises were abandoned after new political interests emerged within the party, particularly following Okowa’s entry into the race.
“Legacy APC members have been shoved aside, and the new guys that came in took over practically everything,” Nwoko lamented.
He explained that several meetings were held with party leaders, during which members were allegedly assured that a new structure would be created to ensure balance and inclusiveness within the party.
“I, myself and others were promised that there would be discussions on the new structure of the party, and we believed that there would be some power-sharing formula,” he said.
The senator further disclosed that party officials allegedly promised sweeping changes within the state leadership of the APC to create room for broader participation.
“We had meetings with leaders of the party and we were assured that there would be some sharing formula, power-sharing formula,” he added.
“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. But that was never done.”
Nwoko described the situation as a painful betrayal, insisting that the agreements reached prior to his defection were ultimately ignored.
The development has intensified political tension within the APC in Delta State, with growing complaints from some long-standing members who feel sidelined following the influx of influential defectors into the party.
