By Paul Joseph
Senator Ned Nwoko has alleged that the recent All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primaries in Delta State were manipulated to favour selected candidates, accusing political forces within the state of undermining internal democracy in the ruling party.
Speaking during an interview, the Delta North senator expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the primaries, insisting that the process lacked fairness, transparency and credibility.
According to him, the exercise was compromised from the onset through coordinated efforts allegedly designed to produce predetermined results.
“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,” Nwoko stated.
The lawmaker disclosed that his political camp possesses ward-by-ward results and video evidence from the primary election, adding that the materials had already been forwarded to relevant authorities for proper review and investigation.
He further claimed that party officials instructed members midway into the process not to announce results at the ward level, but instead forward them to Abuja for final declaration.
Nwoko also questioned the authenticity of a viral video showing former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, being declared winner, arguing that the footage represented only one ward out of the 98 wards involved in the exercise.
“I want you to understand something. The video that you saw, where Ifeanyi Okowa was announced as the winner, was just one video from one ward out of 98 wards. Maybe they should show us other videos. They must show us the figures,” he said.
The senator maintained that he would reject any outcome ratified by the party leadership if it contradicted what he described as the genuine mandate freely given by party members.
“I wouldn’t accept. Because I have a mandate. I have a mandate by the people,” he declared.
Reacting to reports of violence and intimidation during the primaries, Nwoko described the incidents as isolated cases which, according to him, did not substantially affect the overall conduct of the exercise.
The senator also explained that his earlier decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stemmed from frustrations over alleged political restrictions imposed on him by the Delta political establishment.
“I was in PDP. I got elected as a PDP Senator. But I realized that my people there, the Governor Okowa himself, didn’t allow me to operate freely,” he said.
Nwoko expressed confidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would intervene in the matter, while reaffirming his loyalty and commitment to the APC.
“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,” he added.
He further alleged that longstanding APC members in Delta State had been sidelined following the influx of former PDP members into the party, despite earlier assurances of inclusion and balanced power-sharing arrangements.
Insisting that results from all 98 wards must be reviewed before any final declaration is accepted, the senator questioned why conclusions were allegedly drawn from only one ward result.
“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?” he queried.
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