The camp of Senator Ned Nwoko has rejected the outcome of the Delta North Senatorial primary election held on May 18, 2026, describing the exercise as a “Political fraud” marred by manipulation, violence, intimidation and alleged state interference.
Addressing journalists on behalf of the senator, his Legal Adviser, Chris Okobah, said the exercise could not be regarded as free, fair, credible or transparent.
According to Okobah, available records from the field showed that Nwoko won the election overwhelmingly with about 123,000 votes, while former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, who was eventually declared the winner, allegedly secured only about 5,000 votes.
He said the camp had in its possession video evidence, ward-level records and reports from agents across the 98 wards in the senatorial district to support its claims.
“We make this statement confidently because we have evidence from the field. There are 98 wards, and we have video evidence, agents’ reports and ward-level records showing what truly happened across the entire senatorial district,” he stated.
Okobah alleged that the manipulation started long before the election day, claiming that members of the electoral panel were allegedly kept in Government VIP lodges and controlled by powerful interests in the state.
According to him, several returning officers were allegedly commissioners, advisers, assistants or persons connected to the state government.
He further alleged that many officials failed to appear at the primary venues after witnessing the massive turnout of delegates loyal to Nwoko.
“There was no proper accreditation, no transparent voting, no honest counting and no genuine collation. In many places, what they called an election was nothing more than a political fraud dressed in party colours,” he said.
The legal adviser also alleged widespread vote buying, intimidation of delegates, threats of suspension and inducement of party officials during the exercise.
He maintained that the result being circulated by state authorities and party officials was “morally defective and democratically worthless.”
Okobah further argued that the former governor ought not to have been cleared for the contest in the first place because of his pending court case, insisting that allowing such a candidate to emerge would damage the credibility of the party before the electorate.
He warned that failure by the party leadership to urgently address the alleged irregularities and grievances arising from the primary could have grave political consequences for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to him, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu risks losing Delta State if the party allows injustice and imposition to stand.
“Democracy is not the private property of any governor. It is not the inheritance of political godfathers. It is not a weapon to be used against the people,” he declared.
Okobah insisted that Senator Nwoko remained the authentic choice of party members and delegates in Delta North, stressing that “the people’s mandate cannot be stolen by intimidation, violence or state-sponsored manipulation.”
The group therefore called for a full review of the primary process, cancellation of what it termed manipulated results and accountability for all persons allegedly involved in the conduct of the exercise.
“Anioma deserves democracy, not deception. Anioma deserves justice, not intimidation. Anioma deserves truth, not political robbery,” he added.
