Senator Ned Nwoko has rejected the outcome of the APC senatorial primary in Delta State, insisting that the election was manipulated in favour of former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa despite earlier assurances that he would secure the party’s ticket.
Okowa defeated Nwoko in the May 18 primary election with 113,309 votes, while the senator polled 2,612 votes.
However, Nwoko claimed the exercise was rigged and vowed to challenge the outcome, maintaining that he had evidence proving he was the rightful winner.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE TV on Monday, the senator disclosed that he was allegedly promised an automatic ticket before defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) earlier this year.
“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?”
The senator explained that the promise of an automatic ticket formed part of the negotiations used to persuade him to join the APC from the PDP, the platform under which he won election in 2023.
Nwoko officially defected to the APC in February 2025.
According to him, discussions with party leaders also included agreements on power-sharing arrangements and restructuring 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 stated.
He further alleged that APC leaders had assured defectors that the party’s state executive committee would be dissolved to create opportunities for broader participation.
“We had meetings with leaders of the party and we were assured that there would be some sharing formula,” Nwoko added.
The senator accused the APC leadership under National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda of abandoning those promises and sidelining older party members.
“Legacy APC members have been shoved aside, and the new guys that came in took over practically everything,” he said.
Nwoko also insisted that he won the majority of wards during the primary election, contrary to the official result announced by the party.
“We won the primary. All Ifeanyi Okowa did was to show evidence of just one ward where there was an issue,” he claimed.
“I was there. I have the evidence. I have the video.”
The dispute is expected to deepen political tensions within the Delta APC ahead of the 2027 general elections as both camps continue to battle for control of the party structure in the state.
