By Aaron Ossai
Senator Ned Nwoko has appealed to the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC to safeguard the mandate he alleges was overwhelmingly given to him by party members in the Delta North Senatorial District, insisting that the integrity of the party’s primary election process must be protected.
The lawmaker warned against any attempt to overturn the outcome of the APC senatorial primary, describing such a move as a betrayal of the democratic will of party members who participated in the exercise across the district.
In a statement issued by his Media Office in Abuja, Nwoko maintained that he secured a decisive victory in the primary election, claiming to have polled about 123,000 votes, compared to the 6,000 votes he said were recorded by former Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa.
According to him, any effort to replace what he described as genuine votes with questionable figures would not only undermine the credibility of the process but also weaken confidence in the APC among party members and supporters in Delta North.
“Subverting the mandate freely given by APC members who turned out in large numbers to participate in the primaries would amount to an abuse of their wishes and sensibilities.
“Such an action could undermine the confidence of party members and supporters who believe in the democratic process,” he stated.
He called on the APC National Working Committee (NWC) and the party’s national leadership to ensure that justice, fairness, and transparency prevail by respecting the outcome of the exercise and protecting the mandate he says was freely given to him.
He further argued that the results of the primary election can be independently verified through video recordings obtained from the various wards where the exercise took place.
The senator claimed that he emerged victorious in 97 of the 98 wards across Delta North and challenged any contrary figures allegedly being circulated by his opponents.
“I defeated Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa overwhelmingly in 97 of the 98 wards, and I have video evidence from across the district to support the outcome. Are authenticated video recordings from 98 wards not more credible than figures allegedly concocted by a panel appointed by the governor who is openly working for Okowa?” he queried.
Nwoko urged the APC leadership to dismiss what he described as fabricated narratives and ensure that the final outcome reflects the actual choice of party members across the senatorial district.
He stressed that the future of the party in Delta North depends on members’ confidence that their votes will count and that the democratic process will not be compromised by political interests.
The senator attributed the support he received during the primary election to his legislative record and continued advocacy for issues affecting the region, particularly the campaign for the creation of Anioma State.
He also highlighted his long-standing commitment to the APC, noting that he had been a member and active supporter of the party before the recent defection of former Governor Okowa and other political figures from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Nwoko rejected what he described as a premature declaration of victory by Okowa, arguing that such action contravenes the APC’s established procedures for collation and announcement of primary election results.
According to him, the APC National Organising Secretary had outlined a clear process involving ward, local government, and constituency-level collation before final submission to the party’s national headquarters for authentication and declaration.
“The authority to collate, authenticate, and declare the results of the primary election rests solely with the appropriate organs of the APC National Leadership. Any premature declaration of victory is contrary to party guidelines and amounts to an attempt to influence public perception ahead of the completion of due process,” he said.
Nwoko expressed confidence that the APC leadership would uphold due process, protect the integrity of the primary election, and ensure that the final outcome reflects the decision of party members across Delta North.
