Senator Ned Nwoko has warned that the All Progressives Congress (APC) may face serious political consequences in Delta North capable of undermining President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election prospects if the outcome of the party’s senatorial primary election in the district is not immediately reviewed.
Nwoko, who rejected the declaration of former Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, as winner of the Delta North APC senatorial primary, alleged that the exercise was fundamentally flawed and marred by manipulation.
Speaking through his counsel, Dr. Chris Okoba, in Abuja on Friday, the lawmaker maintained that available records showed he overwhelmingly won the contest and deserved to be declared the authentic winner of the primary.
He claimed to have polled 123,000 votes against the 5,000 allegedly secured by Okowa, insisting that he possessed substantial video evidence and documentary materials to validate his claims.
The senator described the outcome of the exercise as “a political fraud orchestrated under the guise of party procedure,” alleging that the result announced by party officials was premeditated and manufactured ahead of the election.
According to him, the mandate freely given to him by APC members and grassroots supporters across Delta North could not be subverted through what he termed “administrative manipulation and political conspiracy.”
Nwoko further cautioned the leadership of the ruling party against any attempt to deny him the ticket, warning that such a decision could trigger political backlash with grave electoral implications for the APC in Delta North ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He argued that he remained a critical grassroots mobiliser and one of the strongest political assets of the party in the senatorial district, stressing that sidelining him could weaken the APC’s electoral fortunes in the region, including support for President Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
The senator urged the national leadership of the APC to urgently intervene in the dispute and ensure transparency, fairness and internal justice in the handling of the primary election controversy.
The disputed primary, which reportedly produced former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as the party’s senatorial candidate for Delta North, has continued to generate political tension within the APC fold in the state.
