Senator Ned Nwoko has rejected the outcome of the APC senatorial primary election for the 2027 polls, intensifying the APC primaries dispute as he insisted that he defeated former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa. The Delta North lawmaker alleged widespread irregularities, electoral fraud, intimidation, and manipulation during the exercise.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, Chris Okobah, who represented Senator Nwoko, called on the leadership of the All Progressives Congress to investigate the conduct of the primary election. He maintained that the APC primaries dispute showed that Nwoko clearly won the contest against Okowa.
Okobah said Senator Ned Nwoko recorded an overwhelming victory with 123,000 votes, while Ifeanyi Okowa allegedly secured only 5,000 votes. He added that the figures came from reports gathered across the 98 wards in the senatorial district, including video evidence, agents’ reports, and ward-level records.
According to him, the election process failed to meet basic democratic standards. He alleged that manipulation started before the primary election day when officials reportedly denied Nwoko access to members of the electoral panel who allegedly stayed in government VIP lodges.
He further claimed that powerful political interests influenced the appointment of panel members and returning officers, many of whom allegedly had links to the Delta State government. Okobah also alleged that several officials never appeared at the designated voting venues despite the massive turnout of delegates.
He accused some political actors of resorting to violence, disruption, and intimidation after they allegedly realized they could not defeat Nwoko through a transparent process.
Okobah also claimed that the APC primaries dispute involved poor accreditation, lack of transparent voting, and questionable collation of results. According to him, some results were allegedly prepared before voting commenced.
He further alleged that party members and delegates faced intimidation, threats, and inducements during the exercise. He claimed that some individuals distributed money to influence voters and party officials.
Okobah insisted that the result being circulated by state government agents remained unacceptable and lacked democratic credibility. He argued that the evidence gathered from the field contradicted the announced outcome.
He also accused the government of interfering in the democratic process, stressing that democracy should not serve the interests of political godfathers or powerful individuals.
According to him, Senator Ned Nwoko remains the preferred candidate of the people, adding that intimidation, violence, and political manipulation cannot override the people’s mandate.
