ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Senator Ned Nwoko has rejected the outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary in Delta State, insisting he won the exercise and would challenge the result in court if necessary.
Nwoko, speaking during an interview on Arise Television, faulted the declaration of former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as winner of the primary, alleging that the announced figures did not reflect the actual votes recorded across the wards.
The senator claimed that midway into the exercise, party officials directed that no results should be declared at the ward level, instructing instead that all results be collated and announced later at the APC national headquarters in Abuja.
According to him, his camp complied with the directive in good faith before reports later emerged declaring Okowa winner of the contest.
Nwoko questioned the credibility of the figures announced from one of the wards shown in a widely circulated video, alleging that the turnout captured did not match the official numbers eventually released.
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He maintained that only one ward result had been publicly displayed and challenged party officials to release evidence and results from the remaining wards involved in the exercise.
The lawmaker insisted that he possesses video evidence and documented results from all 98 wards used during the primary.
Nwoko said he would not accept any outcome that contradicts what he described as the genuine mandate freely given to him by party members.
He declared that his next option would be litigation if the party leadership fails to address his complaints.
Despite his grievances, the senator said he would not work against the APC, stressing that his loyalty to the party remains intact.
He, however, expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu would intervene in the dispute and ensure fairness in resolving the controversy.
Nwoko further alleged that long-standing APC members in Delta State have been sidelined since the defection of former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members into the ruling party.
According to him, the new entrants now dominate the party structure in the state while legacy APC members have been pushed aside.
He also claimed that earlier promises to restructure the party leadership and create a power-sharing arrangement for older APC members were never fulfilled.
The senator maintained that while he did not expect to win every ward in the primary, he remained convinced that he secured the majority of votes cast across the state.
He insisted that available evidence from the wards supports his claim of victory in the disputed primary.