Senator Ned Nwoko has called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the growing controversy surrounding the All Progressives Congress senatorial primaries in Delta State, alleging that the exercise was manipulated to favour preferred candidates.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News, the senator representing Delta North maintained that despite his grievances, he remained loyal to the APC and had no intention of working against the party.
“I’m not going to work against the party. I believe the President will intervene in this matter,” Nwoko said.
The lawmaker claimed that longstanding APC members in Delta had gradually been pushed aside by defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party who now wield considerable influence within the party structure.
According to him, President Tinubu is fully aware of the political tensions in the state.
“The President knows what’s happening in Delta. He knows that the legacy APC members have been shoved aside by the new PDP guys who came into the party. He knows they control the structure and that there are fundamental problems in Delta,” Nwoko said.
The senator alleged that the primaries were compromised from the beginning and accused political forces within the state of influencing the process to achieve predetermined outcomes.
“The process was manipulated from day one. The state government conspired to produce results for what they wanted,” he alleged.
Nwoko disclosed that his camp had gathered ward-by-ward results and video recordings from across Delta State, which he said had already been submitted to the APC leadership as evidence.
He explained that participants in the exercise were reportedly instructed not to announce results at ward level but to forward them for collation and declaration in Abuja. However, he said reports later emerged declaring former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa winner, based largely on material from a single ward in Ika North East.
Questioning the credibility of the figures released, Nwoko argued that the crowd visible in the footage did not match the announced vote totals.
“I saw just one video from one ward out of 98 wards, yet figures of about 5,000 votes were announced. They should release the results from the remaining wards,” he said.
He insisted that no single ward could determine the outcome of a district-wide primary and demanded that results from all 98 wards be made public to ensure transparency and accountability.
The senator said he would not accept any outcome that contradicts what he described as the genuine mandate of party members.
“I have a mandate by the people. I would not accept manipulated results,” he declared.
While acknowledging reports of violence and intimidation during the exercise, Nwoko described such incidents as isolated and insufficient to affect the overall outcome.
He also reflected on the frustrations that led to his departure from the Peoples Democratic Party, claiming he faced restrictions in carrying out his responsibilities as a senator under the former political arrangement in Delta State.
According to him, APC leaders had promised fair integration for defectors and legacy members alike, including party restructuring and power-sharing arrangements, but those assurances were not honoured.
Nwoko maintained that evidence available to his camp showed he won the majority of votes across the wards and argued that no final decision should stand until results from all 98 wards are fully reviewed
